Teeth, Gums, Dentistry, Health
Dental Hygiene Test
A high score keeps your teeth a lifetime
By Dr. W. Gifford Jones
"What a shame", I thought, "that she had never read Don Quixote".
My wealthy patient had fingers loaded with diamonds. But at 40
years of age she was wearing a complete set of dentures in her
mouth. Miguel de Cervantes the Spanish novelist wrote 400 years
ago," For what I would have you know , Sancho, that a mouth without
molars is like a mill without a stone, and a tooth is more precious
than a diamond." Cervantes would be amazed that today it's possible
to keep teeth a lifetime due to tremendous advances in dentistry.
So why are so many lacking teeth? It's because there's a limit to
what dental technology alone can accomplish. You must also have a
proper knowledge of oral hygiene to ensure possession of teeth at
80 years of age. Below you'll find a test of your own knowledge of
oral hygiene. Give yourself 4 points for every correct answer. If
you score below 80 prepare yourself for dentures before too long.
1. Gum disease is responsible for 70 per cent of adult tooth loss.
The early signs are tender, bleeding or swollen gums.
2. You should continue to use dental floss even if the gums bleed.
3. People become less susceptible to tooth decay after 25 years of
age.
4. By 60 years of age about half of all people have lost all their
teeth.
5. It's impossible to remove food from between the teeth without
the use of stimudents or dental floss.
6. The root canal operation is usually the best way to treat an
apical abscess
on any tooth.
7. Gingivitis is not usually painful and can go unnoticed for many years.
8. Dried fruit, and toffee are worse for the teeth than a fruit drink.
9. The root canal operation works 90 per cent of the time.
10. The best age for a child to begin seeing a dentist is at three years of
age.
11. Teeth play a major role in nutrition, facial structure and speech.
12. Laziness, inconsistency and poor eating habits are the main cause of
dental loss.
13. Dentists treat periodontal gum disease by cutting open the pockets of pus and cleaning out the diseased material.
14. Dentists rarely suffer from gingivitis and periodontal gum disease.
15. The "Reach" toothbrush is the worst type to clean the back molars and the. tongue side of the teeth.
16. There's no point in having a root canal operation after 65 years of age.
15. Plaque is a new type of toothpaste that prevents tartar.
16. The root canal operation is always a very painful procedure.
17. Third molar teeth should always be removed.
18. Dental disease isn't the most common chronic health problem in Canada.
19. Fluoridation of the water supply will not decrease children's cavities by
40 per cent.
20. The root canal operation can't be done on the molar teeth because they .
they have several roots.
21. The root canal operation lasts for about five years.
22. Rinsing the mouth with just water after a meal is of no value in fighting
tooth decay unless the teeth are also brushed.
23. Orthodontic work is no longer effective after the mouth is fully formed.
24. Bad breath is never the result of periodonal gum disease.
25. Miguel de Cervantes would prefer dentures rather than experimental dental
implants that rarely work.
The first 13 questions are all true. The last 12 are all false. Readers may obtain a copy of the "checkup" free of charge by writing to Information Services, Canadian Dental Association, 1815 Alta Vista Drive, Ottawa, Ontario, K1V 3Y6. It will help to keep your teeth a lifetime.
W. Gifford-Jones M.D is the pen name of Dr. Ken Walker graduate of Harvard. Dr. Walker's website is: Docgiff.com
My book, �90 + How I Got There� can be obtained by sending $19.95 to:
Giff Holdings, 525 Balliol St, Unit # 6,Toronto, Ontario, M4S 1E1
Pre-2008 articles by Gifford Jones
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