Have you ever heard the phrase, “There are no stupid questions”? This is most certainly true when it comes to dental health. However, people definitely ask Google some interesting, funny, and odd questions at times! We took a deep dive into the sea of Google to search for some of the best, and we’re ready to share our finds with you.
As you probably have noticed, Google gives you ideas to autocomplete your search whenever you start typing in the search bar. These start with the top questions people have previously asked Google based on the words you’ve typed in. For example, when I type in “dental”, Google gives me several possible endings it thinks I might be looking for. Here they are in order of how often people have typed them in:
The top results included, “dental dreams (as in the dreams folks have about their teeth), Dental Dreams (an actual place), and dental insurance.” When other questions or searches related to dental and orthodontic care are typed in, they can be ranked in the same way.
Among questions related to dental and orthodontic care, the most popular Google search question between July 2018 and June 2019 in the USA was, “What is a root canal?”, which was asked approximately 32,700 per month. In second place for the same timeframe was the question, “How much do braces cost?”, with an average of 31,700 monthly. After this came, ‘What are veneers’, ‘How much is Invisalign’, ‘What is TMJ’, and so on.
(Note: this type of Google analysis is the premise for why we are shown the advertisements they decide to show us online. Typically, our past search, hover and click behavior leads businesses to determine we’re likely to buy their products, so they show us their ads. There are ways they can even hear us if we’ve got Siri, Alexa, or other digital voice assistants enabled! So, if you get annoying or inappropriate ads popping up all the time -- blame yourself or someone else who used your phone or computer!)
A poll was also conducted in the UK by an organization called Simplyhealth which focused on Google searches for dental advice in Great Britain. Two thousand adults were polled. According to their results:
Part of Simplyhealth’s research also involved thirty dentists being asked what the most and least common questions were that they were asked by patients. They shared some of their best below:
Another interesting dental-related Google search comes from a somewhat common dream people report having where their teeth fall out. By simply typing in the word ‘teeth’, we see it pops up as a popular result:
There are several others, too, as you can see if you try googling the search criteria yourself. Does this make you wonder how your searches rank on Google and who, if anyone, is actually reading them?
We wondered about that ourselves. Then we took a peek at YouTube to see what sort of analysis might be available there. We found treasures, as usual:
This dentist seems pretty amused by the Google searches he found:
The dentist shared google search questions like:
He doesn’t answer the questions, but we’re guessing you probably know the answers. Of course, none of the above are recommended, and when we searched for actual answers ourselves, we found mostly procedures and devices an orthodontist would need to provide. (HINT: Don’t try this -- any of this -- at home!)
Next up: This group of New Jersey dental professionals has a presentation of numerous Google autocompletes for viewers. (This is worth watching to get helpful dental information as well!)
One member of the group shown above answered that while they may not know if you vape (although sometimes they can identify “that fruity smell”), they will definitely know if you smoke. Another replied that a lot of the hygienists have noticed a difference in mouth tissue on people who vape.
To this, one group member replied, “Only if you’re my kid.”
One member of the group answered, “Your baby teeth, yes. Your permanent teeth? Hopefully not. We work together with you to make sure they don’t fall out.”
Then the gentleman in the back mentioned the teeth-falling-out dream we highlighted earlier....
Sounds like that dream’s content is fairly well-known!
This next item isn’t a google search -- it’s advice against a google search. Apparently someone looked up ‘Mouth larva’ when they meant to google ‘moth larva’... The advising party clearly states, “it’s exactly what you’d expect and you shouldn’t go there…”
We went there anyway, and yep. You really shouldn’t go there. We were going to share an image but decided not to. (You’re welcome.)
- Rodney Dangerfield
- Charles M. Schulz
- Ann Landers
Did you know there was a National Dentist Day? Now you do!
A. Tooth, plural teeth, any of the hard, resistant structures occurring on the jaws and in or around the mouth and pharynx areas of vertebrates. Teeth are used for catching and masticating food, for defense, and for other specialized purposes.
A. Dr. Pierre Fauchard: The Surgical Dentist
In 1728, a French physician named Pierre Fauchard (credited as “The Father of Modern Dentistry”) published a groundbreaking book called Le Chirurgien Dentiste, or The Surgical Dentist.
A. Enter Egypt in 2686 BC - Dr Hesy-Ra (aka Hesy-Re & Hesire) was the first documented physician in the world. He was an Ancient Egyptian, who served as the royal physician to the Pharaoh Netjerikhet. In addition to being the royal physician, him and his buddies used to cater to the dental healthcare needs of the workers in the Egyptian pyramids.
So, there you have it. Google search autocompletes related to dentistry are a lot of fun -- just like we love to have fun here at Jungle Roots. Keep an eye out for the silliest Google search autocompletes you notice in your everyday searches and let us know the best ones during your next visit!
At Jungle Roots Children’s Dentistry & Orthodontics, we strive to provide the highest comprehensive pediatric and orthodontic dental care in a unique, fun-filled environment staffed by a team of caring, energetic professionals. We believe the establishment of a “dental home” at an early age is the key to a lifetime of positive visits to the dentist.
