## General Dental Facts

• You should be visiting your dentists every six months for regular routine care. If you have a lot of cavities or gum problems then you may want to see your dentist every 3-4 months.

• Your mouth is connected to your entire body. Disease in your mouth can travel through the blood stream and affect your heart. Seeing the dentist is just as an important as seeing your physician.

• Always use a soft toothbrush. Brushing your teeth harder will not clean them better. In fact, this may cause damage to your teeth and gums.

• Always brush in big, gentle circles. Brushing your teeth up and down or sideways may cause damage to your teeth and gums.

• The Surgeon General reports 80% of Americans have gum disease

• Healthy gums help prevents diabetes.

• SUGAR IS BAD!!! Did you know that the bacteria that live in your mouth LOVE SUGAR! Eating a diet high in sugars will just feed these bugs causing cavities to grow bigger.

• Cavities are caused by a germ that spreads through kissing and sharing food

• Pregnant women with gum disease have only a 1 in 7 chance of giving birth to healthy child of normal size.

• Eliminating gum disease adds 6.2 years to your life.

## Fun Dental Facts

• Dogs rarely get cavities because their saliva has a high pH preventing tooth breakdown.

• Most horses that are males have 4 canine teeth, but the females rarely do.

• Elephant tusks are just overgrown teeth. These giant teeth can weigh up to 10lbs and can grow replacements six times during their lives.

• Snails have over 25,000 teeth and they are located on the tongue!

• Bunnies loose their baby teeth in the mommy’s stomach before they are born.