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Fair enough. My cat is only four years old. But my point is that we treat tooth decay like an inevitable consequence of failing to brush and floss when we actua
by evunveot 11y ago
Fair enough. My cat is only four years old. But my point is that we treat tooth decay like an inevitable consequence of failing to brush and floss when we actually know it's caused by the blooming of certain specific bacteria. Brushing with fluoride helps enamel resist the decay, but it does nothing to prevent the bad bacteria from blooming again in 12 hours.
Admittedly, I hate taking care of my teeth and thinking about things this way comforts me when I fail to do so.
- tptacek 11y agoTooth decay has plagued humanity since before recorded history. Before dentistry, it used to kill people. It routinely kills animals in zoos. Presumably it kills them in the wild, too --- just, more slowly and painfully. Which is not to moralize about your own dental hygiene. Dealing with the consequences of poor dental hygiene is what dentists are for. :)
- evunveot 11y agoCertainly wasn't my intention to engage in paleophilia (which unfortunately means sexual attraction to dinosaurs according to Urban Dictionary; I'm talking about the unreasoned assumption that anything humans experienced pre-civilization must be more "natural" and thus beneficial). I acknowledge that in the absence of a consistent oral hygiene regimen the health of my and my cat's teeth is at risk. I also hope that science will some day save both of us from some or all of the tedium and expense.
- SixSigma 11y agoTooth decay in England only became a major issue from the Tudor period onwards when readily available sugar was introduced the food supply
- tptacek 11y agoI don't know what "major issue" is, but there is evidence of paleolithic dentistry, long before there were sugar crops.