Open wide and say ahh-February is National Children’s Dental Health Month and your family could use a brush-up. To help protect those pearly whites, here is the toothy truth, by the numbers …
2 Number of times daily the American Dental Association recommends you brush your teeth with an approved fluoride toothpaste.
20 Number of primary, or"baby” teeth, crowding the average 3-year-old’s mouth.
32 Number of permanent teeth-including wisdoms-found in the average adult human.
0 Number of teeth found in the average adult turtle.
$5,500 The average cost in dollars for two years of orthodontic braces treatment in the Chicago suburbs.
22 Percent of orthodontic braces-wearers who are adults.
1 Rank of the toothbrush as the invention Americans could not live without, placing above the car, computer, cell phone and microwave.
1938 Year the first nylon bristle toothbrush went on sale in the United States.
500 Number of species of microbes-most of which are not harmful-that inhabit the mouth.
147 Amount of sugar, in pounds, the average American eats in a year.
6 Number, out of every 10 children, who have at least one decayed or filled tooth by the age of 5.
81 Percent of parents who report that there is some problem with the way their kids brush their teeth.
51 Percent of American adults who say they remember to floss daily. But who hasn’t lied to their dentist?
