If you’re planning an upcoming dental visit for your child, you might be a little nervous about how they will react in the dentist’s chair. One way to mitigate the chance of a negative experience is building excitement for the upcoming appointment. And the best tried-and-true way to captivate a child’s interest in something? Associate it with dinosaurs. Here are some fun dino tooth facts you can share with your little one prior to your Charleston pediatric dentist appointment.
T-Rex Teeth Were Serrated
Most people think of T Rex teeth as smooth, like tiger fangs, but they were actually serrated, like steak knives. Just as this helps us cut our meat better, it helped the T-Rex chomp into its meals with ease.
T-Rex Teeth were the Longest
The longest dinosaur tooth ever recorded was a whopping 12 inches long from root to tip, and belonged to a T. Rex. The exposed part of the tooth, minus the root, was 6 inches long.
All Dinosaurs Regrew Teeth Frequently
Scientists believe plant-eating dinosaurs grew new teeth more frequently to keep their chompers from getting too worn down on all that vegetation. Diplodocus replaced their teeth fairly frequently — growing one new tooth every 35 days — while the Camarasaurus took nearly 62 days to form a new tooth.
The Dinosaur with the Most Teeth Ate Plants
The hadrosaur, or duck-billed dinosaur, had nearly 1,000 cheek teeth called grinders, which they used to consume their all-veggie diet.
Some Dinosaurs Had No Teeth
The orthomimids didn’t have teeth at all, and are believed to have chewed up vegetation, insects, small lizards, and small mammals with just their gums.
The T-Rex May Have Eaten Its Own Kind
Tyrannosaurus Rex bones have been found with T-Rex tooth gouges, suggested it may have eaten…other T-Rexes.
Schedule an Appointment at Our Dentist Office in Charleston
Frequent dental visits will help your child develop good dental habits for a lifetime. If you’re ready to schedule a dentist appointment for your child, contact our Charleston dentist office here. We can’t wait to take care of your family!
