Without your taste buds, you wouldn’t be able to enjoy that snowball treat or that lemon cheesecake that you baked as a weeknight surprise for your significant other.
Without your taste buds, you wouldn’t be able to enjoy that snowball treat or that lemon cheesecake that you baked as a weeknight surprise for your significant other. Whenever you eat something spicy or sour, you joke about killing your taste buds. But you might find that they are actually tougher than that. Here are some surprising facts about your taste buds that you might not have known about before now.
You Have Thousands
First things first, you have several thousand taste buds. Adults can have as few as 2,000, and as many as 4,000. However, the ones you had when you were 7 are not the same as the ones as you had at 17 or indeed, even at 27; this is because your taste buds change on a weekly basis.
Speaking in Tongues
You’ll must often find your taste buds concentrated all over your tongue. Now, you’ll find this hard to believe, but you do have some in other parts of your body. Although you can’t always feel them, you have some in the back of your throat, inside your nose, and even in your throat. All of these buds work together to paint you a complete picture of what you’re tasting. That way, you can tell the difference between regular grapes and cotton candy-flavored ones.
Invisible to the Eye
You might think that you can spot your taste buds when you hold your tongue out in front of the mirror. Sadly, this is a myth. What you see on your tongue are called papillae, which help your buds function – they contain the nerves that actually taste.
They Save Your Life
This final fact could be the one that surprises you the most. The evolutionary purpose for taste buds is that they have helped humans survive this long – how do you know if something is spoiled or otherwise unpleasant? Your sensitivity to bitterness is a defense mechanism designed to keep you from getting sick because of something you ate.
KEEP YOUR MOUTH HAPPY WITH ANNAPOLIS DENTAL CARE!
Whether it’s a regular check-up you need or a tooth extracted, Annapolis Dental Care has the expertise and compassion to work with you on improving your oral health. Your comfort and health are our top priorities, and so we go above and beyond to make our patients happy and give them the highest quality care. To set up an appointment today, please give us a call at 410-571-5014 or visit us online. For more oral health tips for you and your family follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and YouTube! We are always looking for new patients, so if you live in Arnold, Annapolis, or Anne Arundel County, MD, come on down!