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A similar article in The Atlantic was submitted a few days ago: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2019/05/the-trouble-with-dentistry/586039/ https:/

by js2 8y ago

A similar article in The Atlantic was submitted a few days ago: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2019/05/the-trouble-with-dentistry/586039/ https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2019/05/the-tro... There's even less evidence for pulling wisdom teeth: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1963310/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1963310/ ("The Prophylactic Extraction of Third Molars: A Public Health Hazard") I'm lucky like the author. 47. Zero cavities. Gums are healthy. Brushed infrequently as a kid and never flossed. Teeth were treated with fluoride by a dentist as a kid. Didn't start brushing daily till high school. Didn't start flossing daily till my thirties. Skipped going to the dentist at all for maybe 5 years in my mid-twenties. Typical western diet. Never had braces. Straight teeth. Both parents, both sisters, and my brother all have several to many fillings. No smokers. I see my dentist twice a year but they only take x-rays every 18 months.

nickpeterson 8y ago
I'll add one. I had bad cavities and several root canals by the time I was 22. Dentist told me to start using a fluoride mouthwash. I use it occasionally (few times a week?), no new cavities for 10 years straight. Seriously no other change.
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]
- ricardobeat 8y ago
  No change in diet at all?
  - nickpeterson 8y ago
    Nope, if anything it's worse.
lazyjones 8y ago
> Never had braces. Straight teeth. = win, probably the main reason for everything else. Perhaps you just got the right mix of soft and hard food in early childhood and developed a perfect jaw. Or good genes and different father. ;-)
skookumchuck 8y ago
> There's even less evidence for pulling wisdom teeth At 21 my dentist wanted to pull my wisdom teeth. I asked why, he said they're hard to clean and I'd lose them at 30 anyway. I said I'd take my chances and found another dentist. I'm old now, still have them, and they're still in good shape.

by js2 8y ago

nickpeterson 8y ago

I'll add one. I had bad cavities and several root canals by the time I was 22. Dentist told me to start using a fluoride mouthwash. I use it occasionally (few times a week?), no new cavities for 10 years straight. Seriously no other change.

deleted 8y ago
[deleted]
ricardobeat 8y ago
No change in diet at all?
- nickpeterson 8y ago
  Nope, if anything it's worse.

lazyjones 8y ago

> Never had braces. Straight teeth. = win, probably the main reason for everything else. Perhaps you just got the right mix of soft and hard food in early childhood and developed a perfect jaw. Or good genes and different father. ;-)

skookumchuck 8y ago

> There's even less evidence for pulling wisdom teeth At 21 my dentist wanted to pull my wisdom teeth. I asked why, he said they're hard to clean and I'd lose them at 30 anyway. I said I'd take my chances and found another dentist. I'm old now, still have them, and they're still in good shape.