Odd Anomalous Facts about the Human Mouth

By Deborah • November 3, 2010

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While your mouth is more than the simple means of mastication and communication, there are a number of little-known facts about the human mouth that will give you some food for thought. Right-handed people are most likely to chew on the right side of their mouths , and just by the basic act of kissing your partner, you can gain over 250 colonies of bacteria.

Mouth off-limits. Photo Francisca Ulloa

The act of kissing is a common expression of affection among many mores worldwide, yet in certain cultures kissing was introduced only through European settlement — prior to this, kissing was not a routine occurrence.

Just as we all have unique fingerprints, humans also have unique tongue prints.

Those with a narrow mouth roof are more likely to snore.

Of the 5 senses, taste is the weakest in humans.

Photo Hammed Saber

Relative to its size, the tongue is the strongest muscle in the body.

Females have more taste buds than males.

This guy killed his taste buds in the process of being a goof,
but fortunately for him, they do replace themselves.
Photo Pierre Vignau

Even as people have around 9,000 taste buds in the mouth, the average lifespan of a taste bud is only about 10 days.

Open invitation to lolz. Photo Les Chatfield

The nasolabial folds are the deep creases of tissue that extend from the nose to the sides of the mouth. One of the first signs of age on our face is the increase in prominence of these folds.