Tooth Teeth ( singular tooth ) were bony structures found in the mouths of most species . They aided in chewing food and the speaking of their language s . They were typically cared for by the medical practice of dentistry . The process of growing teeth was called teething . Human babies , when teething , often interrupted the sleep of those caring for them . While caring for the mimetic simbiot Sim in 2153 , Doctor Phlox was at a loss to understand how Human adults endured the REM cycle interruptions their children caused . ( ) On Earth , most whale s didn ' t have teeth . Instead , they had a soft gum - like tissue , called baleen , that strained vast amounts of tiny shrimp for food . ( ) Following the Horta ' s attack on Schmitter in 2267 , only fragments of bone and teeth were found . ( ) According to Greek mythology , teeth from a dragon slain in war , if spread over a battlefield , would produce one warrior per tooth , each of which would then continue fighting . In 2376 , this myth was conveyed to Captain Janeway of by her first officer , Chakotay , in the presence of Gedrin , a member of the Vaadwaur species . He was relating the dragon ' s teeth and their hidden potential to a long - dormant cache of Vaadwaur ships Gedrin had led them to . ( ) In the Ferengi and Klingon cultures , teeth were sharpened with a tooth sharpener . ( ; ) The Cardassian Bureau of Identification collected a tooth ( the first molar ) from all citizens of the Cardassian Union at the age of ten . It also collected the molars of non - citizens caught up in the Cardassian legal system . Miles O ' Brien experienced this firsthand in 2370 when mistakenly believed to have worked for the Maquis . ( ) During the 19th century on Earth , barber s also served as dentists , and were often known for pulling teeth . ( ; ) In 2293 , shortly before he was assassinated , Klingon Chancellor Gorkon used a large tooth from an unknown lifeform as a cane . ( ) Mullibok told Kira Nerys , during supper , about how he had started as a farmer on the Bajoran moon Jerrado and how he grinded up mineralized clays with his teeth to enrich the soil . ( ) Odo had no teeth , as he informed Makbar , the Chief Archon at Miles O ' Brien ' s trial on Cardassia in December of 2370 , when fulfilling the role of O ' Brien ' s nestor during the proceedings . ( ) Captain Benjamin Sisko referred to Klingon teeth as " fangs , " and mentioned how he missed them after having a Klingon disguise he had worn removed from him . Odo disagreed , saying that he , for one , wouldn ' t miss the fangs at all . ( ) During Tuvok ' s promotion to lieutenant commander in 2374 , Harry Kim told a humor ous anecdote about a joke of him . He noted that you could hear Tuvok grinding his teeth from across the bridge . ( ) While getting angry , the psychopatic isomorph Dejaren described eating to B ' Elanna Torres as " " Grinding up bits of plant s and animal s with your teeth . Secreting saliva to force it down your esophagus into a pit of digestive acids . " " ( ) When Commander Chakotay mentioned that diplomacy was not part of the Hirogen lifestyle , Captain Janeway responded that they have to convince the approaching Hirogen or the " Voyager " will show its teeth like any other cornered animal . ( )