Discovery Channel is celebrating their 28th shark week extravaganza and we can’t think of a better way to celebrate than with some shark oral health facts!
Cue the JAWS music because we have shark teeth facts coming your way!
- Teeth replace themselves. A shark’s tooth replaces itself within one day. Sharks can have up to 3,000 teeth at once and over 20,000 in their lifetime!
- Ever seen a shark try to brush their teeth? Even if they could hold a toothbrush with their fins, they don’t need to brush them. Why? Sharks teeth are covered in fluoride making them cavity resistant. Their diet also doesn’t include a heavy amount of sugar (one cause of tooth decay).
- Both upper and lower jaws move to make it easier for them to tear meat from its prey.
- Sharks are born with a full set of teeth which helps because they need to find they’re responsible for their own food from the day they are born.
- Although different in size, shark and human teeth are equally as hard and dense!
- One shark tooth goes for $300.00 dollars! Think how rich the tooth fairy would be if she took a visit to the ocean! According to The Original Tooth Fairy Poll, a human tooth is worth $4.36 in the United States! What a difference that is compared to a shark’s tooth!
- There are 4 different types of shark teeth:
- Triangular: Tearing off chunks of flesh
- Pointy: Gripping slippery fish
- Flat and Dense: Eating mollusks and crustaceans
- Small and Pointy: Good for filtering krill!
Enjoy watching Shark Week and remember to take care of that smile! Unlike sharks, we have to care for and clean our smile! Comment below to tell us your favorite shark fact!
