catherine
5-30-12, 1:27pm
Jennipurr mentioned it in her post in Personal Finance, and mentioned that she just had her first cavity.
Coincidentally, I just came back from a check-up and as the Crest commercial kid used to say, "Look, Ma, no cavities!!" I still can't get over the novelty of having decent teeth, because my teeth as a child were just horrendous. Now, I'm 60, and I've been dreading the thought of fun things like periodontal disease and my teeth just falling into disrepair due to age. The dentist told me that not only do I have no cavities, but my bone health is very good, too. He said it might be family history, which I know is not the case because my mother had dentures when she was in her twenties.
I know that from the time I had braces in high school my teeth got 100% better in terms of cavities, so I always tell people that orthodontics are not just about cosmetics.. if your teeth are properly aligned, overall dental health will be much better. At least I was a perfect case in point. I also think that chewing gum (at least the sugar kind) and drinking soda have to be hard on teeth. I don't eat that much sugar, I don't drink soda, and I also don't eat much animal protein at all (not that I'm up for an argument on the animal protein/bone minerals theory--it's just an observation). Frankly, I don't know why I have decent teeth at this stage--I just feel lucky today, that's all.
The other good thing about my clean bill of health is that since I've been self-employed I gave up buying dental insurance.
Any thoughts on what makes the difference between good teeth and not-so-good teeth?
Coincidentally, I just came back from a check-up and as the Crest commercial kid used to say, "Look, Ma, no cavities!!" I still can't get over the novelty of having decent teeth, because my teeth as a child were just horrendous. Now, I'm 60, and I've been dreading the thought of fun things like periodontal disease and my teeth just falling into disrepair due to age. The dentist told me that not only do I have no cavities, but my bone health is very good, too. He said it might be family history, which I know is not the case because my mother had dentures when she was in her twenties.
I know that from the time I had braces in high school my teeth got 100% better in terms of cavities, so I always tell people that orthodontics are not just about cosmetics.. if your teeth are properly aligned, overall dental health will be much better. At least I was a perfect case in point. I also think that chewing gum (at least the sugar kind) and drinking soda have to be hard on teeth. I don't eat that much sugar, I don't drink soda, and I also don't eat much animal protein at all (not that I'm up for an argument on the animal protein/bone minerals theory--it's just an observation). Frankly, I don't know why I have decent teeth at this stage--I just feel lucky today, that's all.
The other good thing about my clean bill of health is that since I've been self-employed I gave up buying dental insurance.
Any thoughts on what makes the difference between good teeth and not-so-good teeth?