A human tooth has been recovered floating in space. Astronauts on NASA’s flagship satellite, the International Space Station, have gathered in the tooth, which was found among ‘space junk’, while the astronauts – as well as the tooth – were traveling at a speed of 17,000 miles an hour, 800 miles above the planet’s surface. Even a fleck of paint traveling at high speeds can seriously damage space craft. The tooth has been stored in a sophisticated radiation container - the ‘Faraday’ box, made specially for NASA by Tupperware – developed to protect against killer levels of radiation. After radiation levels have subsided – which is expected to be by 1 April – astronauts will begin a detailed forensic analysis of the human tooth, using X-ray, CT and MRI scams, to try and determine its origins and work out how it came to be orbiting in space.

U.S officials are concerned that the tooth once came from a human residing on a covert space station, which may have been launched surreptitiously by another country. The plot thickens, as neither the Americans nor the Russians have filed reports of astronauts losing teeth in space.

A survey, conducted by car manufacturer Lexus, looked at the luxury tastes and desires of the nation, and found that despite, or possibly because of, stressful lives people liked to spoil themselves. Cosmetic dental work was most popular amongst the 45 – 54 year age group and proved more popular than an image consultation or plastic surgery. Twenty two per cent of people questioned in the recent survey considered cosmetic dental work their most valued personal luxury. Are you ready for a smile makeover? At your next inspection tell us how you want to improve your smile.