I had a conversation with a woman today, who told me her friend is a dentist. He says that in 20 years as a dentist, he has never seen anything like it.
People's teeth are rotting and falling out. He has had to pull more teeth, both adults and children, than anytime in his career.
He says he believes it is due to the constant wearing of face masks.
My family has a background in dental, and I bet he's right but not for the reason you think....
...I'd bet a million dollars it's because people aren't brushing regularly because they know no one will see their mouth all day anyway so they just skip it.
About half, or maybe 60% of all people have a daily regular brushing habit. So let's say you were spending your Saturday totally alone, about half to 60% of all people would brush their teeth in the morning anyway.
But there are a LOT of people who don't notice or mind when their teeth are dirty, or when their breath is not fresh. And they are ONLY motivated to brush out of social pressure or potential embarrassment. They prolly won't admit it, but I bet you there's a lot of people out there just not brushing hardly at all because no one will see and they don't care enough to be bothered.
Only 60% brush every day? I thought twice a day was the norm.
y'know what else, i'll tell ya sumtin else interdasting...
so I like to ask people lots of questions, like Barbara Walters, I just try to dig the most interesting things possible out of people. It's just my inclination, I'm curious about everything.
So the cable guy comes over to my aunt's house while I'm there. I say to him, "You have a very interesting job, because EVERYONE has to have you in their house at some point, from every single walk of life, every neighborhood, all people. So I have a question for you. About what percentage of people have relatively clean homes - not perfect mind you, just even modestly tidy and looking like a normal home - and how many people live totally messy and disorganized with like garbage lying around, or pack rats or whatever."
He says "About 50-50."
It's nearly the same in dental. A lot of responsible middle aged people, kids with good parents, or neat freaks, or healthy living people... they brush and floss like they're supposed to. But for every one of those, there's about one other person who just... doesnt. There are various reasons for this. Sometimes it's past sexual abuse, and people can get this thing where they don't like having anything in their mouth. For others, it's just that they don't mind the feel of dirty teeth. For some, they get too lazy. Some people feel that their mouths are so messed up already that what's the use of cleaning them all the time. Some people are on a lot of drugs that either dry out their mouths or make them unaware of time. Lots of times teens and early adults who had parents who never managed their children's oral health will develop bad habits.
[also, you only really need to brush and floss once a day. Brushing after every meal, IF it's done with a soft bristle brush and not too much aggressive flossing, is bonus good, but even if you just do a really good job once every 24 hrs or so, that's generally fine. Also, if you eat about a one inch cube of cheese after you brush, it coats your teeth with a sort of protective film that has good bacteria in it, it will keep your teeth cleaner longer. ALWAYS brush right after eating sticky sweet food like toffee when you can. Invest in a sonicare and a waterpik. And if you want to really do the best job ever cleaning your teeth, then when you're finished cleaning them, gently outline your entire gumline with a tea tree toothpick.] ---> But that's just what I would do if it were me, that is in NO way intended as dental or medical advice. I am NOT giving you - or anyone else - advice. (My obligatory disclaimer)
i don't have one. I guess just use whatever floats your boat. I use a japanese toothpaste called apagard premio, sometimes. other times i use a sensitive tooth formulation. I like Uncle Harry's tooth whitening powder, but I think they may have discontinued it? Loved that stuff. I would personally just stay away from anything too abrasive if it's for regular use. And I wouldn't use anything that irritated my gums.