Quirky Dental Facts From The Kelowna Dentist

Mission cosmetic dental and tooth implants

At Love Your Smile in Kelowna, we lighten up from time to time, and share some fun facts about dentistry. Enjoy!

  • A five thousand year old Sumerian text attributes tooth decay to “tooth worms.”
  • Before there was formal dental training and licensing, barbers often performed dental procedures. So did blacksmiths! How would you like your dental visit to involve tools used to hammer hot metal?
  • The Mayans were accomplished cosmetic dentists. One smile style in Mayan culture was bejeweled teeth – a procedure that involved the drilling of holes to embed precious gems. That’s a grill with major bling!
  • The average human produces 25,000 quarts of saliva in a lifetime. That is enough to fill up two swimming pools. (Not a very pleasant image, right?)
  • Nylon toothbrush bristles weren’t introduced until 1938. Prior to that, pig hair was a common bristle material.
  • A popular toothache treatment in medieval Germany was to kiss a donkey. There is no evidence that it worked.
  • Every person’s tongue is unique – just like a fingerprint.
  • In medieval Japan, black teeth were considered appealing. Style-conscious women used roots to stain their teeth.

At Love Your Smile – Dr. Stephen Malfair, you won’t find pig hair, donkeys, or anvils. You will find first rate dental care and a caring team of dental professionals. We provide general and cosmetic dentistry, dental implants, and sedation dentistry.

Contact Love Your Smile – Dr. Stephen Malfair:

250-860-8900

Location (Tap to open in Google Maps):

301-1890 Cooper Rd
Kelowna, British Columbia
V1Y 8B7