How are your pearly ones doing today???

This is NOTHING compared to what the dentist showed me a month ago. Before my routine checkup, I gave my teeth and tongue a quick brush but forgot to do the usual-Listerine swish. I figured a brush-a-brush was good enough. Well soon after that a video microscope told me otherwise...EWWWWWWWWW...squigglies, creatures, dots zooming across the slide, worm-like goobers, oh disgusting! I couldn't believe my mouth harbored so many little organisms. It's a wonder why we don't get sick from all those things. Since then I religiously count on Spearmint Listerine (disclaimer: I own some of Pfizer) and always use my trusty albeit expensive flosswands. Then I told the woman to cap me over with some invisible fillings for prevention's sake. From the look on her face, I think it was the first time anyone ever told them they wanted a thorough cleaning and unnecessary treatment. Well, it's my specialty to shock people every once in awhile...glad to be of service.

I once asked a student how often he went to the dentist. He cringed and couldn't remember the last time he went. So I started polling the rest of my students...shockingly similar results! Wowow. It seems that people here only go to the dentist when absolutely necessary. By far and large, the majority fear the pain factor induced by various tools. As for me, I'm more afraid of those horrifying sounds those gadgets emit...I then resumed my questioning, this time with one more question, "do you brush your tongue?" It seems that more than 70% don't brush it...oh the horror continues.

Now I am trying to educate my students into brushing their tongue and actually heading to the dentist before their teeth are brown and rotting out. If you don't believe me, just come here to Japan...you'll notice there is an obviously lower number of people with straight, white, and beautiful pearly sets of teeth. I suppose it doesn't help that braces cost $10,000USD or more. It's not that they don't want braces, it's rather a matter of not being able to afford them. HIM: "So honey, what shall we do...get your teeth fixed or buy a new car for the new addition in our family?"

So if you live in the States or Canada, be thankful you come from a country which puts high priority on dental hygiene. I got a so-called dental checkup and cleaning in Taiwan...after the checkup, I swear my mouth felt even grimier from the doc's hands. Uck. In Honduras after a routine cleaning, the dentist (a woman, not that it matters) told me I had to get my 11 cavities filled. Upon visiting my dentist in Toronto, I was informed that no such 11 cavities existed. After I insisted he was wrong, he took an x-ray and showed me the cold proof. I shut up, thanked him and left. ^_^

Oh and if you have some spare toothbrushes with a tongue brush on the reverse which you don't want, feel free to send 'em my way! I've got one person converted and the rest of the country to go. I'm a cock-eyed optimist...so shoot me. @(>_<)@