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Day’?s Verse:
How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity!
Psalm 133:1
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Passed 1,500 miles on my odometer today, although that lacks about 25 miles I rode on Ian’s bike.
You know what I like? Flossing. Probably that seems a little strange to most of you — who likes flossing, after all? Yuck. Takes forever, leaves your gums bleeding and painful — but lately I have taken a shine to flossing. Every time I get in there and pull out some gunk from between my teeth, stuff my vigorous brushing missed, I feel a small glow of triumph. That’?s some bacteria that won’?t be bothering me anymore! Ha!
However, I have a coworker who brushes her teeth three or four times a day at work. I don’?t take it that far, although I have lately started thinking of brushing my teeth after eating my morning oatmeal. So far I have brushed my teeth before leaving for work, but then I eat breakfast about 9:30 or so and that leaves my teeth feeling scummy for the rest of the day.
I read recently in the quasi-trashy free Metro that several studies have suggested good oral health promotes overall healthiness. They found a correlation between bacteria in the mouth and prostate (I think) cancer, as well as plaque in arteries around the heart and in the neck. They also said that diabetes and bad oral health seemed tied, to which Ian commented, “Everything causes diabetes!”
So excuse me; I have to go floss.
If you floss regularly but not overly zealously your gums won’t bleed. And, yes, it is amazing what the brush leaves behind.
If you can’t brush after a meal, chew sugarless chewing gum. This increases the flow of saliva which kills the bacteria. A quick and easy solution and no, you do not have to chew loudly and vigorously. It also refreshes your mouth. Try it, you’ll like it.
Nana
How do you make a conversation about oral health not awkward? I love flossing! After I got in the regular habit and the bleeding/swelling stopped, it became a surprisingly pleasurable experience. I prefer to floss first, then brush because of the taste flossing leaves in my mouth. (isn’t this information you were dying to know?!) Alas, for the year and some months that I have had braces, flossing has become much more of a drudgery. What used to take two minutes now takes 8 – if I go quickly and don’t drop the threader. Some people look forward to eating corn on the cob, chewing gum, running their tongue over their teeth, etc. when they finally get their braces off. Me? I gaze longingly at boxes of floss. I wish that were an exaggeration.
Flossing aside, I am grateful for the extremely clear graphic that adorns your journal entry, Katie. Finally, I understand the subtle yet important difference between teeth and gums!
I think “What the Brush Leaves Behind” might be a good title for a horror story.
I finally picked up flossing after an oral hygienist told me flat out that if I didn’t, the next time she saw me I would have gingivitis. Since then I’ve flossed every day, and it’s been a long time since flossing left a bleeding mouth.
I’m glad I’ve got flossing to stick, but I still haven’t been able to do that with brushing my teeth in the morning. The gain doesn’t seem as high, and it’s disruptive to my schedule. But I bet if my parents had had me do it from a young age, I wouldn’t have a problem. I blame my parents.