9 Fun Facts To Fill Your Friday
While dentistry seems to be a very serious field, we dentists are just like everyone else. We like to have fun and let our hair down, so to speak, especially as the weekend approaches. Today we are going to have a bit of fun by relaying some fun facts to fill your Friday. Make sure you are sitting, because these facts may knock you out of your tree!
Fun Historical Facts About Dentistry
If you are interested in history you will enjoy these facts, and even if history isn't your thing you'll get a "bark" out of these:
Fun Fact #1: The Salvadora persica, or arak tree, is also known as the toothbrush tree, because the root of the tree was used by Africans and Middle Easterners to brush their teeth.
Fun Fact #2: This ingenious toothbrush is called the miswak.
Fun Fact #3: The root of the arak tree has natural antiseptic and astringent properties. These properties help clean and protect your teeth and gums.
Fun Fact #4: Although it has a bitter taste, the miswak leaves you with sweet smelling breath.
Fun Fact #5: Miswaks can be used over and over, and you can still purchase one today!
Fun Fact #6: The Zanthoxylum clava-herculis tree is also called the "tingle tongue" and toothache tree.
Fun Fact #7: When chewed or sucked, the bark, leaves, twigs, and spines act as pain relievers by producing numbness and were used by Native Americans and early settlers to relieve toothaches and more.
Fun Fact #8: While the arak tree is found in Africa, the Middle East, the Middle Arabian Peninsula, western Asia, India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, the toothache tree is found in the U.S. along the eastern coast, in East Texas, and further west.
Fun Fact #9: So, if you are interested in treating your ailments in a natural way the toothache tree has also been used to relieve: sore throat, sore muscles, digestive upsets, headaches, skin diseases, and more.