YOUR TONGUE CAN ALSO TELL YOU A LOT ABOUT, NOT ONLY YOUR ORAL HEALTH, BUT THE HEALTH OF YOUR WHOLE BODY!
We are all very aware of our teeth and have been told how to clean them, floss them, and maintain them and generally take good care of the, but we often forget about another huge part of our mouths- our Tongues.
Did you know that at your check up with your Dentist we don’t just check your teeth but your tongue too! We give you the TLC Treatment – Tongue, Lips and Cheeks.
These are checked for white spots or lesions, which can be indicator ofMouth Cancer or any abnormalities – another reasons for your twice yearly check up!
Some interesting, some little known and some fun information for you about tongues we thought we would share:
Almost half of all the bacteria in your mouth live on your tongue.
If your tongue is pink, it is bacteria free. If it is slightly white, it means there is a film of bacteria present.
Your tongue never stops working. Even when you’re asleep its pushing saliva into your mouth.
Your tongue is the fastest healing part of the body
10% of babies are born “tongue-tied”. This is a the piece of skin joining the tongue to the base of the mouth called the lingual frenulum.
Using a tongue scraper to clean your tongue is proven to prevent heart attacks, pneumonia, premature births, diabetes, osteoporosis and infertility in men.
Every person has a unique tongue print, just like we do with finger prints.
Women have shorter tongues than men.
The largest woman's tongue measured at 2.76 inches.
The longest human tongue is 3.86 inches.
The widest human tongue in 3.1 inches.
The average person has 10,000 taste buds with 2,000 being under the tongue.
90%of taste buds are located on your tongue, the other 10% are found on the inside of your cheeks & palette.
Animal with the largest tongue: Blue Whale which is the size of an average elephant & weighs more than 5,000 pounds!
Your tongue is the fastest body part to heal following an injury.
Your tongue is the strongest muscle in your body. Thomas Blackstone holds the world record of lifting 24lbs 3oz with his tongue!
The saying 'Cat got your tongue' originated 2500 years ago in ancient Assyria where conquered soldiers & criminals had their tongues cut out & fed to the kings cats.
85% of the population can roll their tongues. There is evidence from identical twins that it is not a generic trait.
However, only 10% of the population can turn their tongues into a ‘clover’ shape
For further information or advice contact College Street Dental Centre in Petersfield, Hampshire on 01730 263180
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