Our Denver Pediatric Dentist Shares Fun Facts About Dinosaur Teeth to Tell Your Child

Planning to take your child in to see one of our Denver pediatric dentists? Here are some fun facts about dinosaur teeth you can use to capture his or her interest—and perhaps quell any anxiety about the upcoming appointment.

The Longest Found Dino Tooth is a Foot Long

The longest dinosaur tooth we have ever found belonged to a T. Rex, and measured a whopping 12 inches long from root to tip. The exposed part of the tooth, minus the root, was 6 inches long. It’s possible that T. Rex teeth could have gotten even longer, but we haven’t found any yet.

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. That’s because a serrated edge is far more effective for slicing through meat, which is why humans use serrated steak knives.

Dinosaurs Could Regrow Teeth Indefinitely

Unlike humans, who only get two sets of teeth in our lifetimes, all dinosaurs could replace their teeth any time they lost them. Scientists believe plant-eating dinosaurs especially regrew their teeth frequently, in order to prevent them from being worn down on rough vegetation. Most dinosaurs replaced their teeth very rapidly, with some adults going through thousands of teeth in their lifetimes. Diplodocus, for instance, replaced about one tooth every 35 days.

The Toothiest Dinosaur Had 1,400 Teeth

The hadrosaur, or duck-billed dinosaur, had mouths that were essentially grinding machines for plant matter—rows of hundreds of teeth adding up to around 1,500. Scientists have found that, in addition to having a lot of teeth, hadrosaurs also had very advanced teeth, with about 6 different types of tooth tissue (by contrast, humans only have 4). This toothy specialization no doubt played a major role in allowing the hadrosaur to thrive for almost 35 million years.

Some Species Are Only Known From Their Teeth

In many cases, fossilized teeth are all that are known of a species. This is the case with the elusive Moroccan “raptor”, known only from its plentiful teeth found in the desert. No other remains, skeletal or otherwise, have been discovered. Teeth, given the right conditions, are more durable than bone!

Schedule an Appointment with our Denver Pediatric Dentist

We hope that this article has helped entertain you and/or your child, or even sparked interest in the amazing world of teeth!  To have your child’s teeth examined by our experienced Denver dentist, request an appointment today.