The agreed definition of a tooth

牙齒的商定定義

is a highly mineralised unit within the mouth.

是口內高度礦化的組織、部門。

Thirty-two highly mineralised units, eight incisors, four canines,

三十二個高礦化組織、部門，八顆門牙，四顆犬牙。

eight premolars and eight molars.

八顆前臼齒和八顆臼齒。

Plus four wisdom teeth which don't tend to make themselves known

再加上四顆不愛出風頭的智齒。

until about five years after the rest of the adult set are in place,

直到成年組其他成員到位後五年左右。

because of course these 32 teeth are your second set.

因為這32顆牙齒當然是你的第二套牙齒。

An average baby is born with both milk and adult teeth

一個普通的嬰兒出生時既有乳牙，又有成人的牙齒。

already in their head.

已經在他們的腦海中。

A seven-year-old Indian boy was recently found to have 526 teeth

最近，一名7歲的印度男孩被發現有526顆牙齒。

inside his mouth.

在他的嘴裡。

But let's stick to the more common number. 20 milk teeth, 32 adult,

但我們還是說說比較常見的數字吧。20顆乳牙，32顆成人牙。

a total of 52.

共52個。

Fifty-two teeth, rarely visible when born but they're all there,

五十二顆牙齒，出生時很少能看到，但都在。

in the skull.

在頭骨。

Waiting...

等待...

waiting...

等待...

to erupt!

爆發！

Thank goodness we can't remember teething. Consider if you will the

謝天謝地，我們不記得長牙了。如果你願意，請考慮一下

brutality of these shards of enamel ripping through innocent gums.

這些牙釉質碎片撕開無辜的牙齦的殘酷性。

No wonder babies cry.

難怪嬰兒會哭。

Reward for this discomforting experience comes when that first set

獎勵這種不舒服的經歷，當第一套的時候就會出現

of baby teeth start to fall out, ready for the tooth fairy.

的小牙開始脫落，準備迎接牙仙。

The first recording of such a transaction with a fee being paid

首次記錄此類交易並支付費用；

for a child's lost tooth is in 13th Century Norse culture.

在13世紀的北歐文化中，為孩子丟失的牙齒。

Vikings going into battle would wear necklaces

維京人上戰場會戴上項鍊

made up of children's teeth.

由兒童的牙齒組成。

Not because it presumably looked utterly terrifying,

並不是因為它大概看起來非常可怕。

but because they were considered lucky.

但因為他們被認為是幸運的。

In the UK, the most common price paid for a tooth is £1,

在英國，買一顆牙最常見的價格是1英鎊。

although 11% of children apparently sleep soundly

儘管11%的兒童顯然睡得很香

with a crisp fiver under their pillow - far less lumpy than a coin.

枕頭下墊著清脆的五塊錢--遠沒有硬幣結實。

Children in the Middle Ages were sometimes instructed to burn

中世紀的孩子們有時會被要求燒掉。

their baby teeth, or risk spending the afterlife searching for them...

或者冒著來世尋找牙齒的風險... ...

With such historical scaremongering surrounding teeth, it is perhaps

圍繞著牙齒的這種歷史性的恐慌，或許可以說是

easier to understand why so many people now have a fear of dentists.

更容易理解為什麼現在很多人對牙醫有恐懼感。

Eighty-four per cent of all adults in the UK have at least one filling

在英國，84%的成年人至少有一次充血。

and the average Brit has seven.

而英國人平均有七個。

Of course fillings are just one dental procedure,

當然補牙只是牙齒治療的一種。

your teeth may also be cleaned, flossed, capped or crowned,

您的牙齒也可能會被清洗、使用牙線、蓋上牙帽或戴上牙冠。

bonded, braced, sealed, whitened or extracted.

粘合、支撐、密封、增白或提取。

But just remember, that going to the dentist today is far less precarious

但只要記住，今天去看牙醫就不會那麼危險了。

than it used to be.

比過去。

Before dentistry found acceptance as a medical profession,

在口腔醫學被接受為醫學專業之前。

extraction was the domain of barbers and blacksmiths.

萃取是理髮師和鐵匠的領域。

Essentially, anyone with access to sharp tools or heavy pliers.

基本上，任何人都可以使用鋒利的工具或重型鉗子。

As 19th Century dentists like Horace Wells and William Morton

作為19世紀的牙醫，如Horace Wells和William Morton。

struggled to be considered professionals rather than tradesman,

掙扎著被認為是專業人員而不是商人。

public demonstrations of painless tooth extractions became

無痛拔牙的公眾示威成為了一種新的趨勢。

more and more commonplace.

越來越普遍。

Some using nitrous oxide ended in a volunteer screaming in agony,

有的使用一氧化二氮，結果志願者痛苦地尖叫。

but by 1846, dentistry had finally cracked anaesthesia.

但到了1846年，牙科終於破解了麻醉。

People attempt to please their dentists by brushing their teeth,

人們試圖通過刷牙來取悅牙醫。

a practice that has evolved from twigs and leaves, into a global

的做法，已經從樹枝和樹葉，演變為全球的。

toothpaste industry worth billions.

牙膏行業價值數十億。

Human teeth are now primarily used for biting off strips of sticky tape.

人類的牙齒現在主要用於咬斷粘膠條。

But these highly mineralised rocks are also responsible for crushing,

但這些高礦化度的岩石也是負責破碎的。

slicing and making manageable almost every meal or snack

切片，幾乎每頓飯或每頓點心都能輕鬆搞定。

you'll ever enjoy.

你將永遠享受。

But we also use them to reflect our mood to others,

但我們也會用它們來向別人反映我們的心情。

be that a welcoming smile or an aggressive snarl.

是歡迎的微笑還是咄咄逼人的咆哮。

Contemporary teeth can be adorned with jewelled grilles

當代牙齒可以用珠寶格柵來裝飾

or filtered to perfection on Instagram,

或在Instagram上完美過濾。

but to think of the all-white uniform smile as perfect

但把全白的制服笑容當成完美的笑容

is a relatively recent obsession.

是一個比較近的困擾。

Having a varied set of teeth is what allowed humans to survive

擁有一副多樣的牙齒是人類得以生存的原因。

and flourish across the globe.

並在全球範圍內蓬勃發展。

Our teeth have evolved to incorporate varying diets and environments,

我們的牙齒在進化過程中融入了不同的飲食和環境。

frankly, we're lucky to have them.

坦率地說，我們很幸運有他們。

Alligator teeth are considered particularly lucky.

鱷魚牙被認為是特別幸運的。

But if you're seeking dental inspiration, look no further than...

但如果你正在尋找牙科的靈感，不要錯過... ...

sharks.

鯊魚。

Unlike us, sharks can afford to loose a few teeth as they're able

不像我們，鯊魚能承受掉幾顆牙齒，因為它們能夠... ...

to regenerate and replace them almost continuously.

幾乎連續不斷地進行再生和替換。

One great white shark can produce tens of thousands of teeth

一條大白鯊能長出數萬顆牙齒來

in their lifetime, which makes our 52 seem relatively...

在他們的一生中，這使得我們的52個似乎相對... ...

toothless.

無牙。