Top Tips

Gordon

Last Sunday I bought the 'Mirror' paper, it had a free DVD of the League of Gentlemen - well worth the 90 cents. In their magazine they had a cool top tips for teeth section. I shall type it out here...

A recent survey found that women worry more about their teeth than their hair [presumably this mag is for women /g], and half of us admit we judge people by their smile. So being kind tooth fairies, we went to see celebrity dentist Phil Stemmer - the guy who fixed Liam Gallagher's busted gob [jeez that fecker had that coming to him /g] - and asked how to keep baddies like fillings, stinky breath and huge dental bills at bay.

1 Drink more water. You need plenty of saliva, which is 95% water, to keep your mouth clean and prevent cavities and gum disease. "If you don't drink enough water the body starts to hoard it up by reducing the amount of saliva it produces," warns Phil. A dry mouth is also more likely to be a smelly one, as dehydration is a cause of halitosis.

2 Check your mouthwash. "If your mouthwash contains alcohol, it may damage the tooth cavity" warns Phil. "It also dries out the mouth and may soften filling materials, so swap it for an alcohol free brand like Dentyl PH". [well that was a bloody advert or what!]

3 Get flossing. Yes, it is boring, but Phil has some good news: you don't have to floss all your teeth. Er, just the ones you want to keep. "If you had a choice between flossing or brushing, flossing would be better for your teeth" he says. If you don't get the gunk out from under your gums (you're supposed to ease the floss right down along the tooth into the pink 'partition' between each tooth) you'll get gum disease. Simple.

4 Beware of whitener If you use a whitening paste, you might end up with teeth yellower than they were to start with. "Don't use any paste that feels gritty," says Phil, "these rub away stains but will take your enamel with them. Your teeth will look whiter at first, but once the enamel wears down you'll expose the dentine layer, which is yellow"

5 Think before you clean. After your lunch, the worst thing you can do is brush. "After you eat, bacteria use the food to make acids which attack and soften the teeth" says Phil. "After 30 minutes your saliva restores natural pH levels in the mouth, but if you brush before this time you're actually brushing away some of your teeth, because they are weakened." Instead, rinse with a non-alcoholic mouthwash or chew sugar free gum with cavity preventing Xylitol. [jeebus, ad-orama. consumer nation we are indeed /g]

6 Forget the fizz. Most fizzy drinks - diet or regular - are acidic, which means they cause damage to our pearlies. "If you can't live without them, drink them through a straw so they don't come into too much contact with your teeth" says Phil

7 Rethink dessert. Dining out? Skip the sticky dessert which helps bacteria cling to teeth and go for the cheese p[late. A protein found in cheese helps reduce acid levels and the level of softening the teeth will suffer. Also swap your after dinner coffee for a cup of black or green tea. Scientists think compounds in a milk free cuppa attack harmful bacteria that cause gum disease and cavities. [yeah, this mag has got to be geared towards women. No mens mag would ever say 'don't eat dessert'! /g]

8 Stop smoking [that means you dustaz & amp!] Gingivitis is harder to pick up with smokers because puffing makes their capillaries contract and their gums don't bleed as much. "Smokers are more likely to suffer from it because the chemicals in cigarettes weaken gums" says phil. Ciggy toxins also weaken the immune system, so the body is less able to fight tooth decay.

9 Get good brush strokes. most of us don't brush effectively. Our teeth are rounded and a back-and-forth motion doesn't get rid of bacteria. You need to brush up and down, angling your brush as you go to follow the curve of each tooth.

10 Seek out expert advice. [in other words GO TO DOCTOR! /g] Go and see your dentist asap and you'll be doing your looks and wallet a favour. New techniques such as air abrasion (a drill free method which sandblasts diseased teeth and seals the fissure, leaving no visible trace) can save you from costly, ugly fillings - as long as you stop the rot early enough.

Anyone else got any personal issues top tips? Not necessarily about teeth, anything you like. I've been meaning to start a thread about top tips here but never had enough substance to give.

thedrowner

Originally posted by Gordon
6 Forget the fizz. Most fizzy drinks - diet or regular - are acidic, which means they cause damage to our pearlies. "If you can't live without them, drink them through a straw so they don't come into too much contact with your teeth" says Phil

it's not just fizzy drinks. fruit juice also is just as acidic, because of the citric acid in fruit. in fact a/c to my dentist, the only thing you can drink all day long which will not have an affect on your teeth is...water

which brings me to stealing a post from the fitness forum....

Water Or Coke?
You've probably have read this before but here is is anyways.


WATER OR COKE?


This is really an eye opener!

We all know that water is important but I've never seen it written down like this before.

WATER
1. 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated. (Likely applies to half world population.)

2. In 37% of Americans, the thirst mechanism is so weak that it is often mistaken for hunger.

3. Even MILD dehydration will slow down one's metabolism as much as 3%.

4. One glass of water will shut down midnight hunger pangs for almost 100% of the dieters studied in a University of Washington study.

5. Lack of water, the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue.

6. Preliminary research indicates that 8-10 glasses of water a day could significantly ease back and joint pain for up to 80% of sufferers.

7. A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term memory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on the computer screen or on a printed page.

8. Drinking 5 glasses of water daily decreases the risk of colon cancer by 45%, plus it can slash the risk of breast cancer by 79%, and one is 50%less likely to develop bladder cancer. Are you drinking the amount of water you should every day?


COKE
1. In many states (in the USA) the highway patrol carries two gallons of Coke in the trunk to remove blood from the highway after a car accident.

2. You can put a T-bone steak in a bowl of coke and it will be gone in two days.

3. To clean a toilet: Pour a can of Coca-Cola into the toilet bowl and let the "real thing" sit for one hour, then flush clean. The citric acid in Coke removes stains from vitreous china.

4. To remove rust spots from chrome car bumpers: Rub the bumper with a rumpled-up piece of Reynolds Wrap aluminum foil dipped in Coca-Cola.

5. To clean corrosion from car battery terminals: Pour a can of Coca-Cola over the terminals to bubble away the corrosion.

6. To loosen a rusted bolt: Apply a cloth soaked in Coca-Cola to the rusted bolt for several minutes.

7. To bake a moist ham: Empty a can of Coca-Cola into the baking pan, wrap the ham in aluminum foil, and bake. Thirty minutes before the ham is finished, remove the foil, allowing the drippings to mix with the Coke for sumptuous brown gravy.

8. To remove grease from clothes: Empty a can of coke into a load of greasy clothes, add detergent, and run through a regular cycle. The Coca-Cola will help loosen grease stains. It will also clean road haze from your windshield.


FOR YOUR INFORMATION:
1. The active ingredient in Coke is phosphoric acid. Its pH is 2.8. It will dissolve a nail in about four days. Phosphoric acid also leaches calcium from bones and is a major contributor to the rising increase in osteoporosis.

2. To carry Coca-Cola syrup (the concentrate) the commercial truck must use the Hazardous Material place cards reserved for highly corrosive materials.

3. The distributors of coke have been using it to clean the engines of their trucks for about 20 years!

Now the question is, would YOU like a glass of water or coke

lordsippa

I know i really shouldn't but that list of facts has me dying for a glass of coke...

You never mentioned that the caffeine in coke and other drinks makes you dehydrated.

hacktavist

I find it annoying when people post links to this site but...
http://www.snopes.com/cokelore/acid.asp
Its all bull****.

thedrowner

yeah well

all the stuff they say about coke may not be true but it is a proven fact that it rots the hell out of your teeth.

Moriarty

That the coke "facts" are posted alongside the water "facts" really doesnt lend much credibility to the argument as a whole.

Victor

Originally posted by thedrowner
it's not just fizzy drinks. fruit juice also is just as acidic, because of the citric acid in fruit. in fact a/c to my dentist, the only thing you can drink all day long which will not have an affect on your teeth is...water

Ah, but tap water has flourine and chlorine so go with the filtered!

Pigman II

Originally posted by hacktavist
Its all bull****.

Agreed! You'd think Coke Fact No.2 up there would be enough to convince most people not to reproduce that 'information' :rolleyes:

mooman_00

leave a tooth in a glass of coke for a week and it will have disolved, completely.......

put a old coin in a glass of coke for a week and when you take it out it'll be shiny, same goes for jewelery....

not making an arguement for or against this was just the results of an experiment we did in 3rd year biology about 5 years ago in school.........

patch

http://www.fluoride.org.uk/ausfnews/novdec99/fluoride_damage_to_children.htm

I think you'll find that tap water is a lot worse for your teeth -and general health than you might think......

thedrowner

oops

i drinks 2 litres of tap water a day

Sposs

Preventing gum disease

Brushing removes plaque and helps prevent gum disease. You will need a small-headed medium soft nylon toothbrush, fluoride toothpaste, and a good brushing technique!

Try to use a fixed routine for brushing. Ask your dentist for advice on the best way to clean your teeth.

Try to spend three minutes brushing your teeth. If you find it tiring, try cleaning one part of your mouth in the morning and the rest in the afternoon. It's important to get all tooth surfaces clean at least once a day.

Don't stop brushing if your gums bleed when you brush. It's a warning signal to remind you to remove plaque more thoroughly.

If you smoke, try to give up. Smokers may be more prone to gum disease


Preventing tooth decay


Tooth decay can be prevented by cutting down sugar consumption and using fluoride toothpastes.

Try not to eat sweet snacks or drinks containing sugar between meals. Sugar is often used as a flavor even in savory foods, and can be hidden in many ways. Watch out for sugars on food labels.

Why not substitute sugary food with 'safe snacks' like fresh fruit and vegetables? Remember that your body needs a varied diet for your overall health as well as your dental health.

Choose sugar free medicines.

Consider using a mouthwash containing fluoride and an antibacterial agent as this can also help to prevent tooth decay.

patch

emmm....fluoride bad. Fluoride toothpaste and mouthwash bad too.

McGinty

Gordon, thanks for the article re: dental tooth care, I enjoyed your remarks re: advertising and the comments being aimed at women, its why I no longer read women's magazines, I hate the patronising, sanctimonious comments that wouldn't be in a men's magazine, but I appreciate your comments on it, lol.

Re: the Coke versus Water. There really is no contest, although I didn't know fully why it was bad for you, I just knew that my older brother was hooked on Coca Cola, and he ended up with green gammy teeth, he is in his late thirties and has no teeth left whatsover since his late twenties. I don't touch it, and when I read what it does I kept thinking thank f***.

Thanks for the tips, keep it up

ps: Its true that women are more fantactical about teeth than hair, plus we like men with nice, clean teeth, well I do anyway.

myhandle

Originally posted by McGinty
ps: Its true that women are more fantactical about teeth than hair, plus we like men with nice, clean teeth, well I do anyway. [/B]

Men are also fanatical over their apearance, they just make sure they aren't seen to be so, as overt effort sends another signal.

Caesar_Bojangle

Gordon, what would we do without you? If it wasn't for you and your tops tips, i'd probably be shacked up with a bangkok ladyboy, or worse.


Caesar blows a handful of gracious kisses to gordon as a mark of gratitude:rolleyes: