Teething problems :D

Today morning , when I was brushing my teeth ( ya I brush my teeth daily :D ) , I wondered as to why humans need brush , paste , etc to clean their teeth .. How do the other animals manage it ? And how was human race managing it before something like this was invented?

I asked Deepu the same question about animals managing their teeth. He said " They don't eat junk like this" looking at the dosa on his plate :D And he went on to have another 4-5 dosas :P

Some facts I found by googling about this -

• Small animals called cleaner shrimps have found a way of helping fish at coral reefs. As their name suggests, the shrimps clean the fish.The shrimp uses its tiny claws to pick stuff off the fish's body. That can include dead skin, tiny pieces of food, and wee creatures that can hurt the fish. The fish gets a nice cleaning.
• Small birds called plovers are also in the cleaning business. They have big customers crocodiles. Crocs have long snouts filled with sharp teeth. Cleaning them is tricky.
• Keep clean typically by chewing on hard objects. Dogs teeth can stay clean by chewing bones. Of course animals don't eat the sugar that humans eat so they have a easier time keeping their teeth clean in the first place.
• Inside the lips and cheeks of many animals, there are outgrowths that form natural toothbrushes. Some mammals have these outgrowths on the side of their tongues also. Every time the animal opens and closes his mouth these natural toothbrushes sweep up and down in a cleansing action.
• The lemur has six lower front teeth that protrude straight out of his front jaw. The underside of the front part of his tongue has small horny projections. By rapidly moving it back and forth over his teeth, he cleans them most effectively.
• Mongooses use their sharp claws as toothpicks.

Coming to humans , tooth brushes of one kind or another have been around for a very long time. one was found in an Egyptian pyramid dating to 3000 bc.
Would cave man have brushed his teeth? Again , let me Google ;) Some people say they were using twigs, but there were fewer cavities due to the lack of refined foods and sugars.


Hmmm , so much for keeping teeth clean ;) Do add any other information on this , if any of you who read this know :)