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Bullet point 1: at 35 years old, I hadn't been to a dentist in 12 years; walked into a clinic in Spain for a cleaning, and the lady gasped that I had no cavitie

Bullet point 1: at 35 years old, I hadn't been to a dentist in 12 years; walked into a clinic in Spain for a cleaning, and the lady gasped that I had no cavities and no missing teeth. I only brush once a day, without toothpaste. Bullet point 2: No one on my father's side has ever had a cavity that I know of. We do all get kidney stones. I think it's related. Bullet point 3: I went for a routine cleaning after I moved to Portland, OR (age 38), and was told I had two cavities. I stupidly believed the man. He drilled and filled them. It was the night before Christmas Eve, when they were having their holiday party. I think he was drunk. His nurse was definitely drunk. All fun, and such, until both teeth split in half around the fillings, exposing the nerve (the first on New Years Eve, 9:30 at night; try having emergency dental work done then). I thought about suing him. Who knows; I've never had a cavity since then, and it was 6 years ago, but I'm missing two teeth. And yes, I've decided against firebombing his office. Consciously. Every year on new years.

dennis_jeeves1 4y ago
>And yes, I've decided against firebombing his office. Wrong decision.
deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
jaimehrubiks 4y ago
You should have sued
- noduerme 4y ago
  I read up on it, but it's pretty difficult to pin a dentist for malpractice. Especially if you don't have the teeth to show it.
fastball 4y ago
If you don't brush, do you get more plaque build up? From what I've understood, people generally can have mouths that are more basic/acidic depending. If basic, plaque tends to be a bigger issue but few if any issues with cavities is common. The converse for mouths that trend acidic.
- noduerme 4y ago
  I had a thing about avoiding fluoride toothpaste, since I was fed fluoride pills daily as a child. So I just stopped using toothpaste for 20 years or so; I'd brush with water and then use mouthwash. I definitely built up quite a bit of protective plaque. I guess it's not real pretty, but I think you're right if what you mean is that it guards against cavities. [edit] to be clear, it's not like orcishly heinous or coated with nasty algae or something; I even have a somewhat disarming smile, it's just not gleaming bleached white.
  - lupire 4y ago
    With that much tartar, I'd be more worried about gum disease and your teeth fallin out at the root, not cavities https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8h8In9znQJs https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8h8In9znQJs
was_a_dev 4y ago
I want to know if there's any genetics involved with cavities. I pride myself on my dental hygine, due to my family having poor dental health. I floss, rinse with mouthwash, followed by brushing my teeth with an electric toothbrush (with toothpaste!) I do this twice a day without fail. Further, I aim to have a reduced sugar and acidic diet, and I only drink water. I had to get a filling this year for a cavity, aged 25. My dental hygenist implied that I wasn't taking care with my teeth, but I think that isn't the case. My partner eats the same, but only brushes her teeth once a day. And she has yet to have anything close to resembling a cavity.
- dennis_jeeves1 4y ago
  >I want to know if there's any genetics involved with cavities. Nope. Common food habit that's passed off as genetics: yes.
  - was_a_dev 4y ago
    > Common food habbit And those would be?
    - dennis_jeeves1 4y ago
      >> Common food habbit >And those would be? Generally starches and 'junk food'. ( interestingly, anecdotally I don't think sugar in moderate quantities is a problem). Strict vegans are almost always predisposed to having lots of cavities and brittle bones. Also see my other response regarding fetal health etc. Another topic for you to consider if you are thinking along lines of genetics: evolutionary biology.
- noduerme 4y ago
  I think it's a combination of your flora and genetics. My father's best friend was also his (our) dentist and used to refer to my dad's and grandpa's teeth as "the yellow rocks". Men in my family piss stones more than any people I've ever encountered, to the degree that our family folklore includes a highly effective means of dealing with them involving vast amounts of Guinness and tying your genitalia with string. But somehow, our teeth seem to be practically immune to getting cavities. The men in my family are also all strangely averse to sweetened drinks, sugar, candies, desserts, etc; we tend toward the salt, tobacco and whiskey flavor profile. So maybe that kills some of the destructive flora. My mom has 16 fillings; her parents and brother all ended up with false teeth by their 40s. None of my 3 brothers by my father have cavities. It's definitely something that runs on the male lineage, for us at least.

dennis_jeeves1 4y ago

>And yes, I've decided against firebombing his office. Wrong decision.

deleted 4y ago

[deleted]

jaimehrubiks 4y ago

You should have sued

noduerme 4y ago
I read up on it, but it's pretty difficult to pin a dentist for malpractice. Especially if you don't have the teeth to show it.

fastball 4y ago

If you don't brush, do you get more plaque build up? From what I've understood, people generally can have mouths that are more basic/acidic depending. If basic, plaque tends to be a bigger issue but few if any issues with cavities is common. The converse for mouths that trend acidic.

noduerme 4y ago
I had a thing about avoiding fluoride toothpaste, since I was fed fluoride pills daily as a child. So I just stopped using toothpaste for 20 years or so; I'd brush with water and then use mouthwash. I definitely built up quite a bit of protective plaque. I guess it's not real pretty, but I think you're right if what you mean is that it guards against cavities. [edit] to be clear, it's not like orcishly heinous or coated with nasty algae or something; I even have a somewhat disarming smile, it's just not gleaming bleached white.
- lupire 4y ago
  With that much tartar, I'd be more worried about gum disease and your teeth fallin out at the root, not cavities https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8h8In9znQJs https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8h8In9znQJs

was_a_dev 4y ago

I want to know if there's any genetics involved with cavities. I pride myself on my dental hygine, due to my family having poor dental health. I floss, rinse with mouthwash, followed by brushing my teeth with an electric toothbrush (with toothpaste!) I do this twice a day without fail. Further, I aim to have a reduced sugar and acidic diet, and I only drink water. I had to get a filling this year for a cavity, aged 25. My dental hygenist implied that I wasn't taking care with my teeth, but I think that isn't the case. My partner eats the same, but only brushes her teeth once a day. And she has yet to have anything close to resembling a cavity.

dennis_jeeves1 4y ago
>I want to know if there's any genetics involved with cavities. Nope. Common food habit that's passed off as genetics: yes.
- was_a_dev 4y ago
  > Common food habbit And those would be?
  - dennis_jeeves1 4y ago
    >> Common food habbit >And those would be? Generally starches and 'junk food'. ( interestingly, anecdotally I don't think sugar in moderate quantities is a problem). Strict vegans are almost always predisposed to having lots of cavities and brittle bones. Also see my other response regarding fetal health etc. Another topic for you to consider if you are thinking along lines of genetics: evolutionary biology.
noduerme 4y ago
I think it's a combination of your flora and genetics. My father's best friend was also his (our) dentist and used to refer to my dad's and grandpa's teeth as "the yellow rocks". Men in my family piss stones more than any people I've ever encountered, to the degree that our family folklore includes a highly effective means of dealing with them involving vast amounts of Guinness and tying your genitalia with string. But somehow, our teeth seem to be practically immune to getting cavities. The men in my family are also all strangely averse to sweetened drinks, sugar, candies, desserts, etc; we tend toward the salt, tobacco and whiskey flavor profile. So maybe that kills some of the destructive flora. My mom has 16 fillings; her parents and brother all ended up with false teeth by their 40s. None of my 3 brothers by my father have cavities. It's definitely something that runs on the male lineage, for us at least.