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Even when I was a kid they were starting to understand this. I'm old enough to remember people believing it was useless, maybe even I was told it from a figure

Even when I was a kid they were starting to understand this. I'm old enough to remember people believing it was useless, maybe even I was told it from a figure of authority at some point, but definitely as a child my memory was "people used to think it was useless, but now we know it isn't ". It's kind if interesting to me that I continually see stories titled like the article over the years. It goes to show that undoing incorrect common knowledge is a long process that isn't really ever completed, because an editor somewhere decided that a title like this would grab people's attention, but to someone like me, this is like a headline that reads "brushing your teeth confirmed to be effective treatment in fighting tooth decay". I've noticed a surge in articles letting me know that the appendix isn't useless, so I assume we figured out a bit better what it actually does, but to me the most interesting part is about knowledge dissemination.

Talanes 3y ago
I had a similar thing with whether Giant Pandas were actual bears or not when I was a kid. The genetic tests that determined they were definitely bears happened five years before I was born, but I still got taught the "We used to think they were bears, but they're actually more closely related to raccoons" version until high school.
readthenotes1 3y ago
It was a weird article. The latest study date was 2007. Maybe since then they found the c. Difícils difference??
tamaharbor 3y ago
Jupiter used to “have” twelve moons.
taeric 3y ago
To this day, I still have family that think ulcers are strictly a stress and diet related thing. I also get a bit of a smirk out of the example you use. Brushing teeth is almost certainly effective at fighting tooth problems. However, I have grown wary of it as a goto example, as I think it has long been assumed as the only thing of note there. It seems far more likely, to me, that diet and genetics play far more of an active role in tooth health. Maybe I've just had bad luck with dentists, but I swear my tooth woes only ever get significantly worse every time I see one. :(
- SuperNinKenDo 3y ago
  Interesting. That said, you would expect your teeth to basically get worse over time, there's rarely anything you can do to make them actually better, assuming you're not heavily deficient in something important to them. Only thing I can think of is that I believe it's possible to regrow enamel, but don't quote me on that. Otherwise teeth just basically get worse, and it's just a question of how quickly that happens.
  - thaumasiotes 3y ago
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dental_sealant https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dental_sealant
  - kergonath 3y ago
    > Only thing I can think of is that I believe it's possible to regrow enamel, but don't quote me on that. It’s complicated, but it does happen. Depending on the molecules in one’s mouth and its pH, the apatite on the teeth can grow. There are several toothpastes that do that.
  - denton-scratch 3y ago
    > your teeth to basically get worse over time Just like most of your other body parts. I'm 68, and I'd guess that every major bone in my body has been bruised at some time or other, some (like my shins and knees) multiple times in the same place. I have evidence on X-rays of hairline rib fractures that I have no memory of acquiring. One of my breasts has been removed due to cancer. As a kid I was exposed to harsh mediterranean sunshine; on every visit to my GP, he checks my moles. I've twice had polyps removed from my colon. I'm rather surprised that I can still walk, smell, talk, hear and see. Things are getting worse (send chocolate).
  - taeric 3y ago
    My problem there is that most dentistry related things are couched in moral failings. And people with good teeth have them due to their diligence. But... I've rarely seen evidence of this. Always posturing and admonishments.
  - 3y ago
kirse 3y ago
It goes to show that undoing incorrect common knowledge It's because the appendix-is-useless "belief" comes with decades of evolution vs. intelligent design emotion behind it, starting with Darwin himself.
tsimionescu 3y ago
Part of it is also that, while it does seem to help, it doesn't really have a major role in your body, and you can live a very happy and healthy life without an appendix. So, compared to virtually every other organ a regular person would know by name, saying "it doesn't have a role" is a quite good approximation. Even tonsils have a better defined and more measurable role.

Talanes 3y ago

I had a similar thing with whether Giant Pandas were actual bears or not when I was a kid. The genetic tests that determined they were definitely bears happened five years before I was born, but I still got taught the "We used to think they were bears, but they're actually more closely related to raccoons" version until high school.

readthenotes1 3y ago

It was a weird article. The latest study date was 2007. Maybe since then they found the c. Difícils difference??

tamaharbor 3y ago

Jupiter used to “have” twelve moons.

taeric 3y ago

To this day, I still have family that think ulcers are strictly a stress and diet related thing. I also get a bit of a smirk out of the example you use. Brushing teeth is almost certainly effective at fighting tooth problems. However, I have grown wary of it as a goto example, as I think it has long been assumed as the only thing of note there. It seems far more likely, to me, that diet and genetics play far more of an active role in tooth health. Maybe I've just had bad luck with dentists, but I swear my tooth woes only ever get significantly worse every time I see one. :(

SuperNinKenDo 3y ago
Interesting. That said, you would expect your teeth to basically get worse over time, there's rarely anything you can do to make them actually better, assuming you're not heavily deficient in something important to them. Only thing I can think of is that I believe it's possible to regrow enamel, but don't quote me on that. Otherwise teeth just basically get worse, and it's just a question of how quickly that happens.
- thaumasiotes 3y ago
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dental_sealant https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dental_sealant
- kergonath 3y ago
  > Only thing I can think of is that I believe it's possible to regrow enamel, but don't quote me on that. It’s complicated, but it does happen. Depending on the molecules in one’s mouth and its pH, the apatite on the teeth can grow. There are several toothpastes that do that.
- denton-scratch 3y ago
  > your teeth to basically get worse over time Just like most of your other body parts. I'm 68, and I'd guess that every major bone in my body has been bruised at some time or other, some (like my shins and knees) multiple times in the same place. I have evidence on X-rays of hairline rib fractures that I have no memory of acquiring. One of my breasts has been removed due to cancer. As a kid I was exposed to harsh mediterranean sunshine; on every visit to my GP, he checks my moles. I've twice had polyps removed from my colon. I'm rather surprised that I can still walk, smell, talk, hear and see. Things are getting worse (send chocolate).
- taeric 3y ago
  My problem there is that most dentistry related things are couched in moral failings. And people with good teeth have them due to their diligence. But... I've rarely seen evidence of this. Always posturing and admonishments.
- 3y ago

kirse 3y ago

It goes to show that undoing incorrect common knowledge It's because the appendix-is-useless "belief" comes with decades of evolution vs. intelligent design emotion behind it, starting with Darwin himself.

tsimionescu 3y ago

Part of it is also that, while it does seem to help, it doesn't really have a major role in your body, and you can live a very happy and healthy life without an appendix. So, compared to virtually every other organ a regular person would know by name, saying "it doesn't have a role" is a quite good approximation. Even tonsils have a better defined and more measurable role.