Living The Lifestyle, Wildcard Friday, 6/17/2022

88olds

This is a thread for everyone. If you're new to GoaD, or to weight loss, your questions and comments are always welcome. If you're maintaining, or a long-term loser, your thoughts on the topic may be just what someone else needs to hear. If you're reading this, join in the discussion!

Each weekday, a new topic is offered up for discussion.

Monday - crewahl (Charlie)
Tuesday – Flintwinch (Tim)
Wednesday - misterhub (Greg)
Thursday -imastar2 (Derrick)
Friday - Wildcard

Topic: Teeth

What role does your dental health play in your overall wellbeing? What do you do to take care of your teeth? How’s it working out?

Al_Howard

My plan is brush after breakfast and before bed with my Sonicare power brush. Water Pic a few times a week, and good strong mouthwash after every brushing.
I go in for cleanings twice a year, and have any work done, as necessary. Prep for a crown on a broken tooth next week.

steve0mania

Dental health is much like brushing your teeth, it's not the most exciting thing in the world, but you simply have to take care of your teeth (ha ha).

But seriously, I'd rather have healthy teeth than not healthy teeth. Some of that is under my control, and so I brush regularly, floss (less than I should) and get my teeth cleaned twice a year (with a dental check-up). Some of that is not under my control, and I have "intermediate" genes in this realm. Thus, I still get cavities occasionally, I've got two or three crowns in my mouth, one or two root canals, etc. That's not as bad as some folks, but not as good as others.

88olds

I count this as among the things I take for granted. And I count it as very important. For whatever reason, this morning it occurred to me that I’ve reached the age of 72 with all of my teeth. Something I don’t think anyone in the prior generations in my family had done. They just assumed that at some point before age 60 their teeth would be history.

I attribute this bit of good fortune to 2 things. One is that I grew up in the Chicago suburbs drinking fluoridated Lake Michigan water.
The other is that when I started actually taking care of myself (a process that started with weight loss) I was fortunate to get to a good dentist who was able to successfully treat my neglected gums which were in bad shape at the time.

Now I’m a regular flosser, brush with a terrific Oral B electric and get regular checkups and cleanings.

A note: I recall reading somewhere that when the writer John Dos Passos lost his teeth he became depressed and just sort of gave up.

misterhub

I am not as good as I should be, but I do brush regularly, and I use a Waterpik, as well as floss.

crewahl

I eventually concluded, about my 65th year, that it was easier to take care of my teeth myself at home n a regular basis than to pay the dentist to do it on an irregular basis. I’ve historically been dento-phobic, so that’s a real milestone for me.

I probably fall about mid-pack. I brush daily, but not after every meal. I floss every other day (even days, so I’ll have even teeth). I use an electric toothbrush, which does a better job for me than a manual one.

I think my imperfect teeth are important. Generally speaking, food you chew is more beneficial to weight loss than food you drink. I’m missing one molar on the bottom right from hockey, and one on the bottom left was replaced with a bridge. I’ve also got three crowns on three different molars. Most of that metal'is likely a result of poorer habits (or routines, perhaps) when I was younger.

Interesting question.

Flintwinch

I had terrible teeth and bad dental hygiene. As a middle-aged adult I was told that I needed to see an orthodontist to get my teeth straightened or my bad bite would result in losing teeth. It took almost 3 years of braces to correct everything. Ever since, I am obsessive about keeping my teeth cleaned and getting regular dental checkups four times a year. I floss daily and brush with a Sonicare with special brush attachments. I use a prescription fluoride toothpaste before bed and continue to regularly use a retainer once a week to insure my teeth stay straight. My teeth at age 73 are in excellent condition and I intend to keep them that way given all I went thru to correct issues.

cakeman21k

I have had a mediocre track record as far as my teeth go. As a result I have 1 bridge for a removed molar, 6 crowns and 4 root canals. I currently get my teeth cleaned 4 times a year alternating between my regular dentist and an otrthodontist for my bad gums. I brush 2x a day with an Oral B electric toothbrush. I do floss but not on a regular schedule, however I am always carrying some soft piks around in my pocket to deal with anything that I can feel between my teeth.
Currently I have a crown that pulled off, which I am sticking back in place with some denture adhesive. This will have to carry me for the next 2 months as We are leaving on our summer RV trip on Monday and I was not able to get an appointment before we leave. This time we are heading west to Calgary Alberta Canada for the Calgary Stampede.