Category: Just For Fun

By: Dr. Elizabeth Eggert

This summer, Dr. Elizabeth and Dr. Jeff took their boys on the iconoclastic “South Dakota Family Vacation.” They were lucky to visit the monuments and climb around all the amazing rocks of the Black Hills. But, one of the most amazing places was the Mammoth Site in Hot Springs, South Dakota. They had very interesting information about mammoth teeth and it got us thinking, “How similar are human and animal teeth?”

Humans spend a lot of time and energy keeping their pearly whites in good working order. We visit the dentist and brush and floss our teeth regularly. With animals, it’s a different story. Unless you brush your pets’ teeth, animal chompers aren’t cleaned regularly. So how do their teeth compare to ours?

Animal and human teeth are essentially the same.

Both human and animal teeth are made of calcium, phosphorus, and mineral salts. Adult humans have 32 teeth, including eight incisors and four canines for cutting and tearing. The rest are molars that come in before and during puberty.

Thirty-two might seem like a lot of teeth, but lots of animals have many, many more. Here are just a few examples:

• hippos have 40 teeth
• armadillos have 100 teeth
• dolphins have 250 teeth

Snails do not have backbones, but they do have a lot of teeth. Their tongues contain more than 25,000 tiny, sharp teeth! Limpets, an aquatic snail, have the strongest teeth on Earth. They are made of protein and goethite, an iron-based mineral.

Big animal, big teeth . . . or not.

Elephants are huge animals, so it makes sense that their teeth are proportionately large. A single elephant molar can weigh up to 10 pounds. Elephants also grow a new set of teeth every 10 years or so.  This is very similar to the mammoths. This is usually how paleontologists can verify the age of the mammoths we saw as fossils. Mammoths developed six sets of teeth over their lifetime.

But the largest animal on Earth, the blue whale, has no teeth at all. Instead, it has long plates of keratin called baleen. It is the same substance that makes up human fingernails. Baleen strains tiny creatures called krill out of the water. Blue whales swallow the krill whole.

Humans have the upper hand on oral hygiene.

Though hippos and shrimp may have more teeth than humans do, we do a far better job at keeping our chompers clean and healthy. Humans have cleaned their teeth since at least 5,000 BCE. Egyptians mixed pumice with ox hooves’ ashes and burnt eggshells to create toothpaste. Colgate began mass producing toothpaste in 1873.

The first toothbrush was invented in Egypt in 3,500 BCE. It was a twig with a frayed end. The first natural bristle toothbrush was invented in China in the 15^th century, and the first modern one was invented in 1938 in the United States.

Do your oral hygiene habits resemble a mammoth’s more than a human’s? It’s time to schedule an appointment with Eggert Family Dentistry! Email Eggert Family Dentistry or call (651) 482-8412 today.

Candy Sina is stepping away from her position as Eggert Family Dentistry’s financial and insurance coordinator to run for state office. Candy is running for the Minnesota State Senate in district 42.

We will miss the hard work Candy did for our clinic over the last four years. She was excellent at helping our patients get their insurance claims paid. Candy worked in dentistry for over 40 years and already retired once before joining the Eggert Family Dentistry team. We were lucky to have her as long as we did!

As we wish Candy good luck with her campaign, we are in the process of hiring her replacement. We appreciate the patience of our patients as we work to find our next financial and insurance coordinator.

We hope Candy wins her election and can help us improve the state’s dental situation for all patients and providers. Check out her website for more information and look for her campaign truck on the streets of Shoreview. Bon voyage and good luck, Candy!

By Dr. Elizabeth Eggert

Eggert Family Dentistry’s Dr. Jeff loves being able to have a positive, personal effect on his patients’ lives. Here’s your chance to get to know Dr. Jeff in his own words, including something most of his patients don’t know about him.

Why did you choose to go into dentistry?

The main reason I went into dentistry was to have a hands-on, personal, positive impact on people’s lives. Before dentistry, I worked as a chemical engineer at a small medical device company. Designing devices had a positive impact on people’s lives, but I did not have the opportunity to build relationships with the people I helped.

What sets you apart from other dentists?

The one thing that sets me apart from other dentists is that I always try to listen to any concerns people have and make sure these concerns are addressed. I spend the time to thoroughly answer my patients’ questions, whether it is a question about a filling or something more complex that might have multiple treatment options. I like to make sure patients’ questions are answered and that they are comfortable with the treatment they receive.

Tell us about your family.

I grew up in Spring Lake Park and attended Spring Lake Park schools. I have one younger brother who teaches there, and my parents still live there. Dr. Elizabeth and I will be married 17 years in July. We have five boys who seem to be growing like weeds. They attend school in the Mounds View district.

What are some of your hobbies outside of dentistry?

I enjoy reading and trying to stay in shape (keyword: trying!). I spend a lot of time in basketball gyms and at baseball and soccer fields watching our boys play sports. I like to help out with their sports teams when and where I can. Lastly, along with many other Minnesotans, I like to cheer for teams that often don’t do very well (for me, that’s the Vikings, the Twins, and the Gophers).

What is something most of your patients don’t know about you?

I worked a number of years as a chemical engineer before becoming a dentist. I’m proud to call myself a math and science geek. I’m also a big Star Wars fan and can’t begin to count how many times I’ve seen all the movies.

Dr. Jeff’s Hours at Eggert Family Dentistry

Monday:  10:00 am to 6:00 pm

Wednesday:  by appointment

Friday:  7:00 am to 3:00 pm

Schedule your appointment today!