Weird Dental Facts
Exploring the Quirky and Curious World of Dentistry
We’ve collected the most bizarre, surprising, and downright strange stories from the world of dentistry. These weird dental facts will make you think twice the next time you pick up your toothbrush — and maybe even laugh a little.
Real vampire teeth aren’t just the stuff of myths — they’re a rare dental phenomenon with real-world causes. Uncover the condition behind fang-like canines and the vampire legends they may have inspired. It’s one of our most talked-about posts!
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From the truth behind real vampire teeth to strange saliva tricks and ancient toothpaste trivia, these Weird Dental Facts uncover the curious side of oral health — with stories you won’t find in most textbooks.
Eh, What’s Up Doc?
The Greek physician Hippocrates (400 BC) suggested a toothpaste made from three mice and the head of a hare to cure toothache.
Chew on This For a While
Before toothbrushes were invented people used twigs or their fingers to brush their teeth. (Neem twigs are still used in India, as they have high bactericidal property.)
Can We Get This in a Tube?
The world’s oldest known formula for toothpaste, used more than 1,500 years before Colgate began marketing in 1873, was discovered on a piece of dusty papyrus in the basement of a Viennese museum. Powder for White and Perfect Teeth Crush and combine: • One drachma*...
Squeeze Me
A third of the population squeeze their toothpaste tube from the middle. . . which thoroughly annoys the rest of the population.
I’m Here for My Blackening Appointment
In the early 1600s Japanese women made their teeth black to show loyalty to their husbands. Ohaguro is the term for this custom of dyeing one's teeth black. It was most popular in Japan until the Meiji era. Tooth painting was also known and practiced in the...
Now That’s A BIG Mouth
The Statue of Liberty's mouth is three feet wide! Source: The National Park Service
Outlaw D.D.S.
You may remember Doc Holliday for his friendship with Wyatt Earp and their famous gunfight at the O.K. Corral, but Holliday was actually a dentist who was trained in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and developed a booming little practice in Atlanta. After a short time,...
Honey, Will You Sign My Permission Slip to Get Teeth?
Apparently, in Vermont, women must obtain written permission from their husbands to wear false teeth. Now, how they enforce this is beyond us. . . . And while we are on the subject of strange laws in Vermont, at one time it was also illegal to tie a giraffe to a...
Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
According to Guinness World Records, the most expensive tooth sold at auction cost £23,010 ($36,857) and was bought by Dr Michael Zuk (Canada) at the Omega Auction House in Stockport, Cheshire, UK, on 5 November 2011. The tooth is reported to have belonged to John...
These weird dental facts are just the beginning. Keep checking back as we uncover even more strange, funny, and fascinating discoveries from the dental world.
Want to explore more about oral health from a trusted source? Visit the American Dental Association’s research section.
