- An astronaut taking care of his teeth in orbit.
Ever wonder why all astronauts have great looking teeth? It isn’t just because of publicity photos when they return to earth.
The European Space Agency interviewed residents of Maastricht, Belgium, and Rome to find out if people know the answer to this question.
One Dutch person stated, “I think in space the circumstances are different and that your bones lose calcium, and then your teeth become bad more quickly.” That is true—astronauts do lose bone density and muscle strength in space, the reason why they must exercise for two hours per day while their bodies are floating in microgravity.
However the absence of gravity isn’t contributing to damage that could be done to an astronaut with weak teeth. On the streets of Brussels someone else answered, “Because it is weightlessness, there is no traction between the food and the teeth.” While this sounds like it makes sense, it’s still not the answer to why astronauts need to be diligent about oral health prior to launching into space.
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At launch, astronauts experience pressure four times their own body weight.
The answer closest to the truth came from another passerby in Maastricht: “Because of the speed you are traveling with?”
Essentially, yes. At launch, an astronaut has to withstand pressures up to four times their own body weight. These extreme acceleration forces and vibrations created when launching can do serious damage to teeth for someone who has poor dental-fillings that could possibly fall out. The presence of cavities can be painful with the atmospheric pressure changes as well.
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The Soyuz capsule returns to earth with a little more than a thud.
However long the astronaut is in outer space, they must continue to maintain good oral hygiene to prepare for the extreme conditions of landing, which can be just as harsh as the launch. When a capsule like the Russian Soyuz transports space flyers to and from their laboratory, it lands on earths surface at around 6.2 miles per hour.
From watching the video, you can get a good idea of the impact launching and landing has on these astronauts:
Aside from these reasons astronauts need good strong white teeth, I’m sure another incentive is still to prepare for the publicity photos!
Image may be NSFW.
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Dr. Joe Rota is a leading general and cosmetic dentist and the winner of eight international medals from the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. He first opened Rota Advanced Dental Care in Colorado Springs in 1978 and has been providing excellent dental care ever since. Dr. Rota is best known for being a technological pioneer in the field and for being one of the first dentists to use therapy dogs in his office. In his spare time, Dr. Rota enjoys landscape photography, silk flower arranging, and riding his Harley.
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