Teeth

My father when he was in his late twenties had all his teeth removed and replaced with dentures.  Why?  Because, as the dentists then would tell everyone, it could save you money in the long run.  In the 1920s, dental equipment was not anything like what a dentist uses today.  The drills were very slow and thick.  The chairs were a like old barber’s chairs, and no one’s teeth lasted as long as they do today.  The costs to have a filling was expensive, and the pain experienced while all the repairs were done were excruciating.  Having all the teeth out in one go, and then the dentures was a sure-fire way of saving money and pain for the rest of your life.

Was my father happy with what he had done?  I believe so at first.  He’d come back to England from serving in the Army in India, and had a fair bit of savings, so to him at the time it was a good investment.  It was many years later he grew to regret it.  But as they say hindsight is a wonderful thing and dentists and their equipment did improve, but in the long run, probably what he did was quite sensible at the time. 

It wasn’t until well after the second world war that dental treatment improved, and now we receive injections to stop the pain.  We also have fluoride in our water. 

Now it so happens that fluoride is a natural substance that lives in many rivers around the world.  It all depends on the soil.  For those countries where the soil does not support fluoride, they now add it to the water.  A small amount in large reservoirs.  But that small amount, does wonders for the teeth. 

If like me you were a teenager when fluoride was being added to your local water, it probably helped, but not much.  Why?  Because fluoride is there for pregnant mothers and small children.  By having fluoride during that time helps resilience to build up in the teeth, and stops the number of cavities forming.  When the adult teeth come through for the six- and seven-year-olds, the fluoride gives the teeth strength and resistance to the bacteria that builds up in the mouth.

Unfortunately, rotten teeth and sore gums can cause lots of problems for our health.  Being in the mouth there is a direct link to other parts of the body which means the bacteria can develop problems not only in the mouth but other areas.

Looking after our teeth seems unimportant, although most parents do encourage their children to brush their teeth regularly.  But allowing bacteria to breed in the mouth can have drastic effects.  Strangely enough the gums in some ways are more important than the teeth.  The bacteria can get caught between the gums and the teeth where the teeth sit in the gums, and from there grow and multiply.  Regular brushing of one’s teeth, especially where the gums and teeth meet, keeps the gums healthy and saves the teeth.  Nothing worse than seeing people with missing teeth.

Most people hate going to the dentist, which is a problem.  With the equipment being used today, a regular visit to the dentist is not anywhere near as bad as it was 50 to 60 years ago.  I can remember being subjected to lots of pain as my tooth was drilled and I was only five or six.  Turned me right off going back to the dentist.  But since the end of the 1960s things have improved.  We now have injections to make the area being worked on numb.  This means the dentist can work without worrying about hurting his/her patient.  We also have X-rays so the dentist can see if there is something wrong with a tooth and how it sits in the gums.  And finally, the drills are much quicker, finer and not as noisy.  All these improvements make a visit to the dentist a little less stressful as from when I was small. 

Bad teeth can lead to heart disease, respiratory infections and lots of pain.  We only have one set of teeth.  Without them one is doomed to what my father had for 60 years of his life.  A mouth full of dentures.  Yes, he could eat and chew, but it changed the taste of food, and there were certain foods, such as an apple, he had to cut up into small pieces to eat.  I never saw him crunch into a fresh apple.  The dentures made that impossible.

Regular brushing and cleaning of one’s teeth and gums is a way to keep ourselves healthy.  If you don’t care about how often you clean your teeth, I suggest you start thinking differently.  Training children from a small age to keep those teeth shining and clean will help them as they grow and when they become an adult.  And making sure you brush morning and night, especially before going to bed, will keep you healthy and when you smile you can show the world how important those teeth are.

Julie Finch-Scally ©