Comments on: The moral measure of bad teeth

By: Blanca

Blanca — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 05:16:13 +0000

Have a peek through the NOHSS,

http://www.cdc.gov/nohss/

Skimming through the data, my first impression is that there’s not the correlation I expected between state (as a proxy for social and economic difference) and poor dental hygiene – eg, West Virginia and Massachusetts have roughly similar rates of treated or untreated dental caries among 3rd graders. Regional diet preferences?

By: Justin Giancola

Justin Giancola — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 04:12:00 +0000

Like 20 implicated, starchy foods that form a paste that sticks to your teeth are much worse than suckers and icecream.

An example from my personal life: I spent a year living in Canada with my Middle Eastern friend’s family; the food was homecooking “healthy” everyday, but it was often rice based dishes or lots of starchy vegetables. I noticed that I was getting WAY more plaque build up than I ever did eating my relatively run-of-the-mill American grub; and this reverted back to normal as soon as I returned home, and to my less cultured cuisine. Food for thought…ho ho ho ;p

By: ackbark

ackbark — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 22:49:21 +0000

16. Not just the healthiness of the teeth but their perfect alignment. Seemingly nothing gone astray, no overbites or underbites.

By: T

Mon, 01 Oct 2012 20:05:24 +0000

Part of it has to do with the geometry of your teeth. If you have places for things to collect you’re going to be worse off.

Personally I have poor dental hygiene and I get some minor cavities. However they never become serious, even if left unattended. I forgo novocaine because they are shallow so the drill doesn’t hurt me.

By: pconroy

pconroy — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 17:03:06 +0000

I had overcrowded teeth as a kid and so had to have 4 removed. Other than that I have fairly large teeth with very strong enamel and very deep roots.

I have a definite sweet tooth and eat some candy daily, and also often eat some candy in bed at night, after I’ve brushed my teeth. But no caries to worry about.

I visit the dentist maybe every 2-3 years. Last time there the dentist said, “Your teeth are looking great, keep up the brushing and flossing”. He was surprised when I told him that I had never ever flossed my teeth. So he asked me how I keep them so clean, and I told him that I learned in Elementary school – at 7 yo – how to brush teeth properly, which is to use a rotating motion away from the gum, towards the tooth tip, and I have done so ever since…

I think most Americans brush their teeth horizontally, and this is incorrect, as it forces food particles between the teeth?!

By: John Emerson

John Emerson — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 16:29:02 +0000

It’s not necessarily the teeth themselves. My son and I have a condition called “sour mouth” which has multiple causes (acid reflux, diet, bacteria, and the way the mouth enzymes process food) and wonder whether it is partly hereditary. (“Sour mouth” is also used for bad breath, but this is different). My whole family has terrible teeth, with widely varying care practices.

By: Dental Hygienist

Dental Hygienist — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 14:30:25 +0000

As a dental professional, heridity does have something to do with how your teeth react to cavities and decay, but your diet has a HUGE impact. Sugar is not the only detrimental food for you to watch out for. Fermentable carbohydrates and other sticky foods that stay in your mouth for an extended period of time have a lot to do with decay as well as acid in drinks. Also, parents who put their child’s pacifier in their mouth or eat off of the same spoon are introducing bacteria to the mouth that the teeth and oral cavity are not prepared for at such a young age. Cavities ARE contagious. Home care is not enough to ward off cavities. Enamel can be genetically weak leading to dental problems in younger people. Just some food for thought! Also, the reason bruxism, or grinding, has an impact on dental health is because it can lead to TMJ, destruction in enamel, and destruction of tooth structure. All of these are detrimental to oral health. Enamel is what protects the teeth from cavities. Also, grinding can lead to sensitivity of the teeth due to the dentin, or layer beneath the enamel, being exposed to air and fluid movement. People without insurance or with limited insurance have access to clinics and schools for lower dental costs to ward off disease, cancer, and cavities. Early intervention is the BEST way to prevent cavities especially for children.

By: GH

GH — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 14:13:41 +0000

So far it seems that one out of our four kids inherited the weaker teeth of three grandparents and one parent. He’s already had fillings and a pulpectomy on baby teeth, and he’s the one that we still manage the brushing and tooth care on. It’s frustrating that we take the most care with his teeth, and his are the worst cavity-wise. We truly hope our other three kids have inherited their dad’s super strong, never a cavity teeth, instead of mine- lots of fillings and extractions for space.

By: Eurologist

Eurologist — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 10:52:05 +0000

#11
Not sure if you meant me instead of #3, but what is the vector for that? Mouth-to-mouth contact instead seems so straightforward. BTW, I like mouth-on-mouth (semi-obscure Jean Aurel reference).

By: April Brown

April Brown — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 05:44:45 +0000

My poor son, at the age of 2 1/2 (despite us doing brushing and flossing and all that, and having a pretty healthy and largely sugar free diet), just had to get general anasthesia and have 4 caps, 8 fillings, and a root canal on his baby teeth. Just heartbreaking – of course the first few years of his life were in Algiers (which doesn’t floridate the water), but still. We have to use extreme prescription toothpaste on him, which is tricky because it’s toxic for somebody that young to swallow.

Dentist told us his gums showed that he was being well cared for in terms of diet and hygiene, but that his enamel was just prone to failure. I’m really hoping his adult teeth will be a little stronger, but who knows.

By: Sandgroper

Sandgroper — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 04:11:39 +0000

#14 – Hunter-gatherers. The same was noted by early investigators of Australian Aboriginal people – very healthy teeth. This is heavily influenced by diet, and by tobacco and alcohol use (which can be big factors in gum disease). So this is a genes+environment issue. (And frankly, what isn’t?)

#12 – The misalignment is a genetic issue in East Asians – often the teeth are too crowded: teeth too big/jaws too small. It does *not* seem to result in a noticeably high rate of decay.

By: Jan Lunde

Jan Lunde — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 02:00:19 +0000

Nocturnal chomping and tooth grinding (aka bruxism) doesn’ t add to dental health either. Keeps the dentists in condos, Bali breaks, and SUVs. tho’. Yay for free enterprise and dental access for the monied class.

By: ackbark

ackbark — Sun, 30 Sep 2012 23:46:05 +0000

One thing I’ve always wondered about is why do Neanderthal skulls always seem to have perfect teeth?

Buried in the dirt for 50,000 years and they still have better teeth than I do!

By: marcel

marcel — Sun, 30 Sep 2012 20:44:11 +0000

What a pain in the ass, having a vanity related blind spot pointed out. Not only do you lose a reason to feel good about yourself, you gain a reason to feel bad. Maybe, analogous to Bullwinkle here (FF to 48 seconds) you gotta get another dentist!

By: Isabel

Isabel — Sun, 30 Sep 2012 19:53:50 +0000

” I had long suspected those with dental issues of less than optimal habits”

Being from a population that is, like the British, known for “dental issues,” (not just tooth decay but misalignment -supposedly they are related), I have often been struck by the amazingly beautiful smiles of the poor and downtrodden around the globe. Sounds like your “blind spot” was simply a result of your good fortune so far.

I’m not sure if it’s a perception issue, because my teeth always look better and it’s easier to overlook flaws when I’ve been out in the sun and have some color, but less than dazzling, misaligned teeth also seem more common among east asians. Also smaller chins- maybe these are all connected?

Just noticed ackbark’s comment; all of the above observations could be latitude/vitamin-D related perhaps.

By: Dm

Dm — Sun, 30 Sep 2012 18:26:42 +0000

#3, the microbiome could be substantially maternally heritable even if babies are given up for adoption?

By: Jacob

Jacob — Sun, 30 Sep 2012 17:49:50 +0000

I don’t have much of a sweet tooth either. But I’ve found that grain consumption seems to affect dental health as well. When I’ve been on “paleo” or “low-carb” diets, I’ve noticed my teeth being cleaner and less sticky, similar to the difference between when I consume lots of sugary stuff and when I don’t. This is anecdotal of course.

There is other anecdotal evidence suggesting that environment via nutrition significantly affects dental health.

Tyler Cowen cured his gum disease and was able to avoid invasive surgery through Omega-3 supplementation via flaxseed oil:

http://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2007/07/todays-happines.html

There is also some experimental evidence in addition to anecdotal:

http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.com/2009/03/reversing-tooth-decay.html

By: ackbark

ackbark — Sun, 30 Sep 2012 17:10:05 +0000

I’ve had a lot of dental difficulties, but since I started taking Vitamin D daily about ten years ago I haven’t any whatsoever. Not one cavity, essentially no plaque and no recurrence of gingivitis.

Also I have not had one cold, one flu or one sore throat. Honestly, Vitamin D is a miracle.

By: Mark Plus

Mark Plus — Sun, 30 Sep 2012 15:09:23 +0000

Funny, my parents both had plenty of tooth decay growing up. But my sister and I grew up and lived without caries until we reached our 40′s.

By: ac

ac — Sun, 30 Sep 2012 14:40:22 +0000

I always feel like I got the short end of the stick: I don’t like sweets, I brush and floss regularly, and have slightly yellowish teeth. In contrast, my wife brushes maybe once per day, eats all sorts of sugars and sodas, and has bright whites. Of course, the same is true of both our sets of parents.