10 Facts You Never Knew About The Human Mouth

You speak with it, you eat with it, you kiss with it, you put makeup on it, and you do a whole lot of other things with your mouth, but how much do you really know about it? Chances are, not nearly as much as you thought! The human body in itself is incredible, but the mouth is one of the most interesting and important areas of the body. Next time you go to brush your teeth, taste a super sour food, or take a trip to the dentist, keep these ten facts about your amazing and complicated mouth in mind!

Taste Buds are Invisible

Most people assume the little bumps we see on the tongue are taste buds, but that is incorrect. The bumps you see are actually called papillae and your taste buds are in, about, and around them.

Chewing Sides

Interestingly, if you are right handed, you are more likely to predominantly chew food on the right side of your mouth. The opposite goes for lefties!

Your Tongue is Crazy Strong

The tongue is actually the strongest muscle in the body relative to its size! Imagine what it could do if it was the size of a hamstring.

Taste Buds are Short and Sweet

Bad news for taste buds: they only “live” for about ten days before they’re regenerated.

Tongues are Unique

Just like fingerprints or snowflakes, all tongue prints are different! Everyone has a different tongue print and could technically be identified by it.

Enamel is Harder Than Bone

Most people assume the bones in the body would be stronger than teeth, but in fact, enamel, which is the outermost layer of the teeth is even stronger!

Mouths are DIRTY

Okay, maybe dirty isn’t the right word, but they DO have a whole heck of a lot of bacteria. In fact, mouths are more numerous in bacteria than the whole of the population of North America!

You Make a Lot of Saliva

Over the span of your life, you’ll make about enough saliva to fill two whole Olympic-sized swimming pools.

This is Why Lips Get Dry

Unlike other areas on the body, the lips don’t have sweat glands. This is why they so often get dry and chapped.

Your Mouth Tells You a Lot

Medical experts assert that over 90% of life-threatening diseases have symptoms that show up orally! Just another reason to know your mouth inside and out.