h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

[GDZ]

Another Jack Torrence. I wanted to be Darth Vader.

Gladly accepts cinnamon bun.

B - They don't call me the Floss Fascist for nothing

Should I be flossing? I mean what is the point?

Yes! You definitely should be flossing.
A toothbrush, however well manipulated, will only reach 60% of one's tooth surfaces. Something else, eg floss or inter-dental brushes, is required to clean the other 40% - and it should be done daily, for very sound reasons.

Ok, but are there any studies showing that people who floss get less caries?

I've never needed to have anything done at the dentist, but then again I haven't been since I was twelve.

Oral health education these days is totally evidence based.

Flossing is mainly about treating and preventing gum diseases.

Plaque, the soft stuff which grows on teeth, is a bacterial growth. After 24hrs, the Gram -ve bugs outnumber the Gram +ve ones and this leads to a rise in the amounts of bacterial endotoxins present on and around the teeth and gums.
These enzymes, and the body's defence responses to them, are responsible for gingivitis and periodontitis.
Some people are more prone to developing the deeper form of gum disease, periodontitis, and can ultimately lose teeth because the supporting structures disintegrate over time.
Smokers and those with a family history of periodontitis have a higher risk. Both those factors together make one almost 7 times more likely to have destructive gum disease.

The first clinical study linking plaque to gum disease was published in 1965 by Loe et al. A rather nice irony is that this study was conducted on dental students.

Another reason for using floss daily is to maintain a fresher mouth. These bugs produce 'volatile sulphur compounds' which can cause halitosis. If you haven't flossed for a while, clean between a pair of molars and then have a sniff - it's

Convinced yet?

- to those who really couldn't care less - but Z did ask - and I can't help myself.

http://www.perio.org/consumer/2a.html

More info here.

As you may have guessed, I'm passionate about what I do

*smugly* I floss. But there were nutrition issues in my childhood right around the time my adult teeth were getting organized, and I've paid for that the rest of my life.

Teuchter, could we organise things this way that I'll send my teeth to you by e-mail and you'd fix them and everything and send me back? I am a complete teeth-tragedy.

The weather forecast here is very promising, only 28C/82F/301K (22,4 Réamur and 541,8 Rankine, if anybody cares) with still a lot humidity. *sighs* There is no such thing as a good weather, is there?

I floss

Certainly not as often as I should and probably not as thoroughly either.

H and I have booked a week in Crete towards the end of next month. I would have liked to have got him away from w*rk for a fortnight, but he says it can't be done. So I'm hoping I can inveigle him into another week end of November or beginning of December.

He has had a sudden rush of blood to his head and had a new hairstyle done today. Instead of his 1960s school boy look (which has remained the same apart from a brief foray into long hair in his teens) He has got a much shorter cut with it coming forward. He looks so much better for it.

I'm another Agent Smith...

Teuchter, is there any edited entry on flossing? If not, it does seem as if you need to write one!

Wow, how many threads can claim to have discussed gunecology and dentistry in one week?

Came up with a new disciplinary form today. It is just a notice that the monsters have to both initial and sign. I pasted it below:


____ I have to stay in the house for __ days.
____ I cannot play with my friends inside or outside while I am grounded.
____ I cannot play on the computer while I am grounded.
____ I cannot watch TV or movies while I am grounded.
____ If I am grounded on the weekend, I cannot go to children’s church.
____ I will be ungrounded on __/__/__.


Now, it might seen like there is not much they can do but: They can play by themselves in the house. While they are at school or daycare they are able to play with their friends (no way I can personally enforce it there so why bother?).

What does everyone think? Does anyone see anyway I can improve it? Let me know if you do.

Well, I have never raised kids, so I can't comment.

What sort of offences cause grounding, and how old are your kids, again?

B

So many Agent Smiths. I'm another one. I also floss, and gargle with tartar-control mouthwash before brushing (which is being advertised as "effective as flossing" by a certain mouthwash company).

I was never grounded as a child, it's something my parents never even thought of doing. So the grounding contract strikes me as odd more than anything. But then often its not the form of punishment that matters so much as *being* punished in any form.

I have been neglectful and have not taken Zeppo and Jersey Gummo to the tow path to swim in the river, but I made up for it today. Jersey Gummo generally does not like water, but he bravely swam out to follow Zeppo. Walking back his attitude to water seems to have reversed. It's stunning to watch a dog's world view change.

That somehow reminds me of the 'a dogs's diary' thingy:

Oh boy - a walk!
Oh boy - water!
Oh boy - a swim!
Oh boy - shake water off!
Oh boy - walk home!

That reminds me that I need to give my a bath this weekend. Since I don't have a canal to toss her in.

I just had a big piece of Indian fry bread from a stall up at the museum. I hope my gall bladder doesn't mind! If it stays quiet I'll go get another one tomorrow. It's not often we get the chance to have indian fry bread.

There is a huuuuuge firework display going on somewhere and my suspicion is Clandon, our nearest National Trust property, they must have had an evening concert. It wasn't that many years ago that we never had outdoor evening concerts, as the weather would invariably be bad, now we have gone all Continental with al fresco stuff going on all summer.

# I also floss, and gargle with tartar-control mouthwash before brushing (which is being advertised as "effective as flossing" by a certain mouthwash company)#

d'Elaphant - Companies make all sorts of claims for their products and one really has to look at the clinical studies and how they were conducted. One also has to examine exactly what the company is claiming its product will do.

As Z will probably agree, some 'clinical studies' are not exactly conclusive.

Perhaps I should find out if a guide entry is needed - and go off and bore a whole lot of other people