The Triple Problem with Teeth
Lessons from a pop up dental clinic
It’s all connected. Truly.
A French team of dentists, Nomade Medicale, descended on our village for a few hours to treat as many people as they could. While there was some confusion as to where they’d set up, they were uber clear on their mission: treat as many people as possible. And that they did.
An assembly line of equipment, expertise and somewhat reticent villagers filed through a clinic for treatment of a particular kind - cavities and extractions.
When asked what the problem is exactly, the dentists were singularly clear - sugar, the processed kind.
Bubble gum, sweets and all refined sugars are problematic for at least two reasons:
First- sugar is addictive.
Second - lack of education on how to brush teeth could mean refined sugars building up on teeth for years.
And how could we forget- all packaging ends up on the ground and in the atmosphere from burning.
My big a-ha: trash has a much bigger implication, affecting health, perhaps in profound ways. The 12 year old girl who needed treatment on eight teeth is not a singular example of just how bad it is. Poor dental hygiene is linked to diabetes, dimentia and heart disease for a start.
The dentists shared a powerful story- when they visit rural regions, where there are no shops and consequently no packaged candies, very few cavities and extractions are necessary.
Conclusion:
There’s a connection between eating poorly and having poor health. Go figure.
Students, and anyone who is reading this take note !
STOP eating sweets and all packaged sugars from the shops. Especially between the ages of six and twelve, this is when teeth are changing and are most vulnerable. If your teeth are healthy after 12, chances are they will be healthy for life.
Go for the sweet fruits hanging from trees instead.
Learn to brush properly - twice a day.
It’s simple - brush from top to bottom, NOT across.
Pro tip: swish a smidge of toothpaste over your teeth and leave it there !
Your smile, your health is worth education and care.
Great work from Nomade Medical
One of many extractions, unfortunately
- how to brush properly -
think about brushing hair from the scalp to the ends. Same idea for bushing teeth.
add a dab of toothpaste to the brush.
start where the tooth meets the gum.
brush away toward the end of the tooth.
do this for every tooth.
This will get at what’s important:
cleaning at the gumline and removing food.
Brush morning and night.
This only takes a few minutes. You can do this. Your smile with thank you.
Protip: add a small amount of toothpaste to your teeth and swirl it around. Leave on. This is a brushless way of taking care of your teeth.
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