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Why Are Human Teeth So Messed Up?

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Re: Why Are Human Teeth So Messed Up?

#111

Post by cableshaft »

shubb wrote: post #62
greggman wrote: post #48

I'm going to take this moment to rant at dentists! Going to the doctor they get the excuse that they rarely do anything that could possibly hurt. Dentists on the other hand are practically doing minor surgery every time you visit them. I know many of you will never have had any bad experiences at the dentist but I've had tons and what's extremely frustrating is many of them are preventable but dentists seem to have a…

I don't actually agree with your examples but I wanted to add one of my own. I went to a dentist complaining of sensitive teeth. He identified the problem as small cavities caused by chewing in my sleep, drilled them out, and added fillings. A few months later those fillings fell out and I went to another dentist to get them replaced. "You've had large holes drilled on top of your teeth so I'll have to replace them,…

I lost two teeth over the course of three years because the fillings kept falling out and they had to drill more to get it back in. I hate the current practice of dentistry being to 'make things worse to make things better'.

I can't wait for those things that grow enamel back naturally to fully work and become mainstream.

Re: Why Are Human Teeth So Messed Up?

#112

Post by cableshaft »

madaxe_again wrote: post #40
guilhas wrote: post #3

When I see old human skeletons always wonder how they kept their teeth so good. Without toothpaste, toothbrush or floss. What are we doing wrong?

You're going to say "ewwwwww gross!", but: I do not brush my teeth. Haven't since I was 10 years old, I'm 34 now. The most I ever do is chew sugar free gum, or pick at my gum line with a fingernail in idle moments alone. You know, like humans did for a few million years. I have very little sugar in my diet. When I go to the dentist every five or so years, they say "gosh you take good care of your teeth" and I smirk.…

Enamel can erode for years and still protect your teeth until suddenly it's worn away and doesn't protect your tooth anymore. I got similar feedback from dentists while not having great hygiene and suddenly in one visit after years and years of "doing great" I had four cavities.

My girlfriend has been bragging in a similar way and I've been trying to warn her to be more careful, and she knows exactly what all I went though (fillings kept falling out, eventually lost the teeth and needed a bridge).

Re: Why Are Human Teeth So Messed Up?

#113

Post by TheOtherHobbes »

nickjj wrote: post #92
synicalx wrote: post #25

It always struck me as funny that if you want to get into Medicine you can either do the normal MD course that covers 95% of the body (obviously, you may be able to specialize much later on) OR you can do the other 5% as a Dentist (and again, you may chose to specialize later). Teeth suck, I'm hanging out for "I can't believe they're not teeth" implants so I can stop worrying about the damn things.

Having an implant takes a lot more maintenance than regular teeth and no one really knows the long-long term results (modern implants haven't been around long enough). While an implant may offer a much better quality of life vs having a severely poor tooth (or none at all), don't be fooled into thinking you just get one and then you're set for life. They are considered an excellent option in a lot of cases, but you s…

Cavities are not the problem. Abscesses and infections are the problem.

An untreated abscess can have very severe consequences, up to and including death from sepsis.

Implants need to be kept clean, and the risk of infection is slightly higher than with normal teeth. But they rarely become a bacterial reservoir - which isn't a rare consequence for the roots of normal teeth when they're not kept as least as clean.

Re: Why Are Human Teeth So Messed Up?

#114

Post by omegant »

Is there any recomendation of chewing exercices for children? duration, frequency and a chewing "device" (it could be a specially tough vegetable too).

I guess a couple of minutes of strong chewing before each meal could improve the growth of the jaw in small kids.

Re: Why Are Human Teeth So Messed Up?

#115

Post by notheguyouthink »

barking wrote: post #59
greggman wrote: post #48

I'm going to take this moment to rant at dentists! Going to the doctor they get the excuse that they rarely do anything that could possibly hurt. Dentists on the other hand are practically doing minor surgery every time you visit them. I know many of you will never have had any bad experiences at the dentist but I've had tons and what's extremely frustrating is many of them are preventable but dentists seem to have a…

How many dentists have you gone to? Regularly changing dentists is just a bad idea. Get a recommendation from someone you know who says they were nervous, chose a particular dentist and now would go to no one else and give that dentist a decent chance. You need to develop a relationship with one dentist and over time you will become more comfortable with them and they with you. Everyone can be a little nervous in a n…

Any advice for finding a good dentist? I'm severely in need of a dentist after years upon years of neglect, mainly due to not being able to afford it, but now I'm in a position where I can at least work towards something proper. Yet, I've got no idea where to start. Thoughts?

Re: Why Are Human Teeth So Messed Up?

#116

Post by erroneousfunk »

tominous wrote: post #76

The standard approach to orthodontics is to extract teeth to make room and then move the remaining teeth into place. There is an alternative approach which involves enlarging the jaw, either through expanders, surgery or a combination of both. Unfortunately this is an area where the patient or parent often has to make the decision because specialists only know about what they do. As a related example, I asked a denti…

I think the reason you didn't get a straight answer on the "invisalign vs. braces" is that they do such their jobs so similarly that the biggest factor is really what you want. Do you want a slower and more expensive treatment with less pain, greater dental hygiene convenience, and that less visible to people who see your teeth? Can you put up with a little pain and inconvenience, don't mind the aesthetics, and want to save money?

In some some cases (to the best of my knowledge -- I haven't had to know anything about braces in 15 years), only braces are available until the teeth are in a state where invisalign can do the rest. Clearly, you weren't one of those patients, so the rest is up to you.

The dentists don't know your financial or social situation, they don't know what kind of inconvenience you can and can't put up with. What were you really expecting them to say here?

Re: Why Are Human Teeth So Messed Up?

#117

Post by erroneousfunk »

greggman wrote: post #48

I'm going to take this moment to rant at dentists! Going to the doctor they get the excuse that they rarely do anything that could possibly hurt. Dentists on the other hand are practically doing minor surgery every time you visit them. I know many of you will never have had any bad experiences at the dentist but I've had tons and what's extremely frustrating is many of them are preventable but dentists seem to have a…

I've been to dentists in Boston and Washington state, and I've never had experiences like this. My dentist in Boston (who is awesome) I found off of Yelp reviews. You should ask around for someone better.

Re: Why Are Human Teeth So Messed Up?

#118

Post by Sleeep »

Why does the author's wife think that chewing meat causes choking? This seems like a rather bizarre belief - does this have any basis in reality? If anything I'd think that learning to chew your food well from a young age would make you less likely to choke. (and more likely to moderate your food intake)

It seem like the equivalent of "don't let them walk, they will just fall and get a concussion"

Re: Why Are Human Teeth So Messed Up?

#119

Post by bxrxaxdx »

madaxe_again wrote: post #40
guilhas wrote: post #3

When I see old human skeletons always wonder how they kept their teeth so good. Without toothpaste, toothbrush or floss. What are we doing wrong?

You're going to say "ewwwwww gross!", but: I do not brush my teeth. Haven't since I was 10 years old, I'm 34 now. The most I ever do is chew sugar free gum, or pick at my gum line with a fingernail in idle moments alone. You know, like humans did for a few million years. I have very little sugar in my diet. When I go to the dentist every five or so years, they say "gosh you take good care of your teeth" and I smirk.…

I bet that is not working out as well as you think.

Re: Why Are Human Teeth So Messed Up?

#120

Post by cdoxsey »

yousifa wrote: post #18

Semi-related: When I was in the canyons of New Mexico learning about various tribes and their lifestyles, I learned that many died from tooth-related infections. This is because the mortars they used were made from softer stone that crumbled in the grinding process (when they grind maize). These tiny pieces of stone essentially ground down their teeth. If I remember correctly, because of this their average lifespan w…

Just a reminder that low life expectancy is largely the product of high infant mortality rates bringing down the average. If you were to survive to adulthood in the ancient world you would probably not die at 30, but something more like 60.
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