Enough about teeth - here are some fun Tongue Facts from Absolute Dental!

We are all very aware of our teeth- the importance of maintaining them & have been taught over the years how to take care of them, but we often forget about another huge part of our mouths- our Tongues. I therefore did some research & found some interesting facts about the tongue which I wish to 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. 

 

• 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 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 concurred 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.

Amber x