Say "Cheese" Before I Snap!

Did you ever curse at your dentist for saying you don't floss enough?  Well, you think twice because apparently, some primates do it without the prompt of a professional.  So, whether you agree or disagree that flossing is a necessity to preserve your pearly whites, there might be some benefit to it after all.

A Japanese macaque female, named Chompe, resident at Kyoto University Primate Research Institute, was seen pulling a hair tight between her hands and running it through her teeth to remove food remnants.  According to Jean-Baptiste Leca, the lead author of a report published in the January 2013 issue of the journal Primates, flossing may have been an "accidental bi-product of grooming".
Apparently, this wise female came up with three different techniques of flossing - 1) by moving her mouth to run hers or another monkey's hair through her teeth; 2) by gently moving her head backwards to run hers or another monkey's hair through her teeth; 3) by pulling a strand of her own hair and running it through her teeth with her hands (much like we do).
For more details on this interesting phenomenon, I recommend you check out an article on Discovery entitled "Tidy Monkey Flosses Teeth".

Let's look at the differences between human and non-human primate teeth.  The most obvious difference is that humans do not have large canines.  Baring our teeth to impress a competitor would be a most unusual behavior for our kind.  Note that the presence of large canines prevents side to side jaw movements.  Another important difference.  Female primates usually have smaller canines - especially for apes.  Human teeth are smaller and less specialized than those of non-human primates - we really are not furry enough to necessitate the use of a tooth comb like our lemur friends.  Human molars have five points on the grinding surface, while ape molars only have four - a very useful trait for paleontologists to identify their finds.  In humans, permanent canines grow before permanent second molar, it is the reverse in apes.  The arch of the mouth is different in humans and non-human primates.  Humans seem to have fast growing enamel, whereas apes seem to have slow growing enamel.  Thin enamel generally characterizes fructivores; humans have thick enamel more adapted to plant and meat eating.  There is more micro wear in thick enameled teeth and a diet higher in sugary food is more likely to cause decay.

Mind your diet and keep flossing.


Recommended readings: Primate Dentition - An Introduction To The Teeth of Non-Human Primates. - Daris Swinder.

Dental Microwear in Live, Wild-Trapped Alouatta palliata From Costa Rica - Duke Univsersity