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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
  • Canada Free Press, CFP Editor Judi McLeod