It's Shark Week!

It's shark week! Did you know that a shark can go through approximately 30,000 teeth in their lifetime depending on the type of shark? Sharks also have multiple rows of teeth at one time unlike humans, who, in most cases, only have one row at a time! 

Wait... they have how many teeth?!

After you wake up, brushing your teeth might be at the top of your list of things to do. Well, here are a few facts about shark teeth to go with your toothpaste! While you’re brushing in the hopes of keeping your teeth healthy and strong, sharks are continuously growing new rows of triangular teeth that need no jawbone to keep them in place. They are entrenched in the flesh.
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Several rows of these teeth are patiently killing time (and whatever else they choose to kill) behind the current row of teeth. A sharks main row of teeth is usually replaced in a mere 8 days! Absolutely no brushing required! The ocean floor is literally covered with millions and millions of shark teeth.
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​A typical shark will grow (and lose) thousands of new teeth over the course of its life. So the question is, would you brush your teeth nearly as often if you were going to have 30,000 of them over the duration of your human life? Well that’s about how many a shark will have. So needless to say, he or she is not concerned with the ones left behind, or in someone’s behind for that matter!

So the next time someone calls you big mouth, think about a shark’s mouth and its ability to hold 300 rows of teeth with hundreds of teeth in each row, then look at them knowing they are fortunate that your mouth is actually quite small compared to a shark.

Fun Facts!

• Sharks typically lose at least one tooth a week
• Sharks teeth are not rooted into their jaw, but arranged in conveyor belt type rows in their gums.
• Shark teeth can be replaced within a day of losing one.
• The tooth of the megalodon range from 31/2 – 7 inches long and can weigh more than a pound!
• Shark teeth were recently discovered to contain fluoride.
• Sharks do not suffer from cavities.
• The inside of shark and human teeth contains a soft mineral known as dentin.
  
• The coating of shark teeth is acid resistant and less water soluble than our teeth.
  
• Shark teeth and human teeth are equally as hard.