What do Brad Pitt and George Washington have in common?

They each star in one of these bizarre facts about teeth.

So if you ever find yourself in the midst of an awkward silence try sharing one or two of these pieces of trivia. After sharing it you’ll either find yourself caught up in a lively discussion about teeth… or in an even more awkward silence.

But either way you’ll all at least come out of the awkwardness a little wiser and worldlier—and isn’t that what really matters?

George Washington’s teeth were not made of wood
President Washington had only one real tooth left when he took office and had dentures made from a variety of materials—gold, ivory, and lead to name a few. Oh, and a combination of human, donkey, and hippopotamus teeth was used for good measure. (And if that’s not an excellent reason to take care of your teeth I don’t know what is!)

Actors don’t let their teeth stand in the way of their movies
For both Brad Pitt in Fight Club and Viggo Mortensen in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers their dental health took a back seat to their craft. To get the darker, edgier look he needed to play anarchist Tyler Durden Pitt paid a dentist to chip away parts of his teeth. And while filming a fight scene Mortensen accidentally broke his own tooth—but he insisted everyone keep filming and that the tooth just be glued on (the film crew did not allow this—he was sent to a dental professional for proper care). But that’s dedication!

Fake braces were once popular in Asia
At one point in some countries like Thailand and Indonesia, braces were sought after for being “cool” amongst kids and teenagers. However, for those who didn’t need them or couldn’t afford them they had to find non-traditional ways to sport the braces look. That led to the production of fake braces purely for aesthetic purposes. But, fortunately, the governments of these countries banned them upon finding out the slew of dental health issues they could cause!

Bedazzled teeth are nothing new
Long before some people were wearing “grills” or having diamonds and crystals attached to their teeth Native Americans had decorated their teeth with a variety of semi-precious stones. Researchers have discovered teeth over 2,500 years old with gems attached to them with natural resins.

Bottle opener tooth implants exist
Rough sports such as rugby can lead to players losing teeth. So one Argentinian brewery decided to make the most of a bad situation; they created an implant shaped like a bottle opener. With the help of local dentists they successfully marketed the implants to athletes missing teeth—and all are reportedly very happy with the results!