Electric toothbrushes, useless fad or genuine progress?

Definitely genuine progress, but get a decent one, I like the Braun/Oral B range. DON'T get a flashy model with BlueTooth and a back scrubber attachment. Here's the check list:

1. Easily available replacement heads.

2. Decent battery technology, Nickel Metal Hydride not NiCads.

3. Timer. Two minute timer to check you are going for long enough.

4.  Err. That's it.

Modern diet is rubbish, still...

 A practical approach to reducing sugar:

Reduce - taper off how much you add to food and drink. Taper, not cut out!

Replace - change to alternative sweeteners. I know they get a bad press, but I'm an advocate. 

Refuse - try saying no to sweet stuff. You never know, you might prefer less sweet stuff. 

Modern diet is rubbish...

 Like so much of modern life, modern diet is rubbish. Eat a pre-farming diet, leaves, shoots, nuts, berries, roots (insects!?), ideally raw and your whole body, including your teeth and gums benefit. Hunter-gatherers had better teeth and better health than modern people. You can too...

Flossing

 Only floss the teeth you like->
"It's too fiddly."
"It hurts."
"It makes my gums bleed."
"I don't have time."
"Eugh, it's gross."
Have I missed any? The reasons for not flossing go on and on.

Now here's the reason for regular flossing - You'll see less of the dentist. 

Fluoride (again, because MAHA)

Fluoride?
Fluoride in water. What you need to know.
There’s a lot of talk about Fluoride in drinking water. A LOT of it is highly misleading. Here’s what you need to know:

1. Is it safe?

About 209 million Americans, or about 62.9% of the total U.S. population:

https://lnkd.in/ezMAkssb

2. Does it work?

This meta-study says ‘yes’ :

https://lnkd.in/eT5qzSjC

Oxygen, it's my favourite gas...

 When normal, healthy, mouth bacteria are starved of Oxygen they are forced into anaerobic mode. In anaerobic mode they make lactic acid, amongst other nasties. The acid causes tooth decay and gum inflamation. Not good. When Oxygen is available bacteria will always use it because aerobic respiration  is fifteen times as effective as anaerobic respiration. In aerobic mode no acid is produced, so no decay, no gum inflammation. Good.

So?

Plaque is fantastically effective at sealing out Oxygen.

Food in packets?

Food manufacturers know that the more sugar, fat and salt they add to their products the better they'll sell. It's their duty to their shareholder to shift as much stuff as possible, they aren't concerned about your or my health. Do yourself a favour, try to minimise, without making yourself miserable, the amount of food you consume that comes in a packet.