will flatten them and can cause one heck of a headache. As we age, we make less saliva from our mouth glands, which besides causing us to made weird noises with our tongues can lead to tooth decay.
FACTOID
You may sleep next to a person who snoozes with a mouth that’s open wide enough for a subway to get through. The reason why it’s a problem? It’s like driving a car without the windshield. When mouth breathers (sleeping or not) are exposed to all that air (caused by a clogged nose), it dries the gum and enamel to create gingivitis and possible bone decay.
FACTOID
You’re naturally susceptible to tooth decay if your mother was unhealthy during pregnancy or you had poor childhood health, perhaps because the foundations of the teeth were not created well. Today, major food sources that cause decay include carbonated drinks that dissolve enamel and sugary gums and mints, since these continually bathe our teeth with food bacteria love. Also, avoid sticky foods and candies (such as raisins, unless you religiously brush afterward), which can stick to your teeth (sucking candies are better for the health of your teeth).
FACTOID
Your sinus region generates a liter of fluid daily, so you’re continually washing boogers down your throat. There’s nothing wrong with picking your nose if you keep the area moist (and use a tissue paper on your fingertip). You can also use a neti pot daily to clean the sinuses (it’s like brushing your teeth for your sinuses).
FACTOID
White spots on teeth are usually a sign of enamel breakdown, decalcification, and too much fluoride. The problem isn’t only that we get too much fluoride from our drinking water but that every year more than 20,000 young kids (especially those under six) swallow their toothpaste, meaning they get lots and lots of fluoride, which can lead to the discoloring or worse. A lethal dose of fluoride is only 500 mg for small children—that’s not too hard to get if a big glob is put on a toothbrush. If your kid does eat toothpaste, have him drink a lot of milk—that neutralizes the fluoride—and head over to the emergency room. Keep the toothpaste to a pea size for children, to lower the amount they might swallow. Kids and pregnant mothers can also discolor developing teeth by taking tetracycline, so choose different antibiotics to prevent speckled teeth.
YOU Tips!
It’s one of the most common dreams around: losing your teeth by the bucketful. We’re not dream psychologists, so it’s not our place to suggest that such dreams are symbolic of your chaotic life (though some people believe that these dreams indicate that you’re a grinder). But we do want to help you avoid the nightmare of your teeth falling out in real life. Of course, you know the basics—you gotta brush, you gotta floss, you gotta see a dentist and dental professionals, you gotta avoid barroom brawls. But here are some more details that’ll ensure that your new nickname becomes Mighty Mouth.
TAKE TWO. Waiting in traffic, two minutes seems like an eternity. Playing in bed, two minutes feels like a flash. At the sink, two minutes is the time you need to spend brushing your teeth in order to clean them adequately and reduce plaque. Use a soft brush and rub the bristles up toward the gums, so you can get to the actual cusps and gum. Change your toothbrush every two months. Those newfangled ultrasonic brushes amaze many dentists with their plaque-fighting abilities (and some have two-minute timers built in). Many cultures, by the way, believe that massaging your gums with your fingers is helpful in preventing periodontal disease. We actually prefer sonic brushes, since they produce more than 30,000 brushstrokes a minute (compared to about 5,000 of typical electrical ones) and spray into the crevices of teeth to clean beyond where the tips of the bristles actually touch. In other words, they’re more effective at dislodging plaque. To use one, follow these instructions:
Wet the bristles and use a small bit of toothpaste.
Place the toothbrush bristles against the teeth at a slight angle toward the gumline. Power up.
Apply light pressure to let the brush do the brushing for you (as with a sensitive coworker, don’t push too hard).
Gently brush the head slowly across the teeth in small back-and-forth motions so the longer bristles reach between your teeth.
Do the outside top teeth, inside top teeth, outside bottom teeth, and inside bottom teeth each for 30 seconds. Then do the chewing surfaces and anywhere else that may have stains. Feel free to brush your tongue, too, which can help with bad breath.
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