Army Develops New Chewing Gum

IEBEYEBALL writes "The Army is developing a new chewing gum to help soldiers fight dental problems in the field. The gum takes the place of brushing teeth, which the soldier in a combat situation might not have time or means to do. This sounds like the perfect solution for the geek on the go!"

Comments

Some people already do this!

[mpathetiq]

I know several who think that simply chewing a stick of gum after a meal is a sufficient replacement for a full brushing. Damn Trident marketing.

These people also tend to have the DemonBreath from Hell TM.

Re:Some people already do this!

[Mark of THE CITY]

Trident's ad pitch the virtues of sugarless gum. Dentyne uses, or used, the slogan "Brush your breath with Dentyne."

Re:Some people already do this!

[no_pets]

Most of the DemonBreath people I know of are coffee drinkers. I believe that even people with the freshest breath and cleanest teeth tend to get Coffee Breath (TM) after a couple of cups of coffee. I personally try to use a mint or chew some gum after a cup for that very reason.

BTW just to stay somewhat on topic, doesn't each MRE come with some instant coffee?

Re:Some people already do this!

[Weh]

in europe there's already a gum called xylifresh that's supposed to clean your teeth

Re:Some people already do this!

[puck01]

I chew sugarless gum to make up for not brushing, but I do not believe it is as good as brushing. At the same time do you know for a fact it is not as good? I don't.

In any case, I work 30+ hours at a time, sometimes without a break or sleep and its all I have time to do. For me it seems to work, I've not had one cavity in the last 4 years since working like this. I did have one in the past when I brushed more regularly. I'm just one person, though, so take it for what it is worth (which isn't much). It would be intresting to see a well done study on the topic (if its not already been done)

Re:Some people already do this!

[Schemat1c]

or me it seems to work, I've not had one cavity in the last 4 years since working like this. I did have one in the past when I brushed more regularly.

I saw a documentary a few years ago where they found a pile of 2000 year old Roman skeletons that were trapped in a cave that had been sealed by a volcanic eruption. Since the Romans usually burnt their dead this was a rare find. It was interesting because their teeth were absolutely perfect They did not brush their teeth or have dentists yet they had no cavities or crooked teeth. The reason they gave is that these people lived before Marco Polo had brought sugar to Europe. Sugar is now used in so many products, not just as a sweetener but as a preservative, that our teeth are now in horrible shape.

Re:Some people already do this!

[hey!]

Most of the DemonBreath people I know of are coffee drinkers. I believe that even people with the freshest breath and cleanest teeth tend to get Coffee Breath (TM) after a couple of cups of coffee.

Yeah, but look on the plus side. The foul reeking alkaloid residues in our mouth do make our bite fatal to less habituated (weaker) humanoids. Just the thing to put smile on your face after an all-night coding session, albeit a bit of a yellow one.

BTW just to stay somewhat on topic, doesn't each MRE come with some instant coffee?

Yep. But it's crappy even for instant -- more or less I'd guess they're there to disguise the taste of nasty water. I've found a use for 'em though. I save them and carry them in my pocket. You never know when you could use a sub-lingually applied pick-me-up.

Re:Some people already do this!

[Chubby_C]

I know several who think that simply chewing a stick of gum after a meal is a sufficient replacement for a full brushing. Damn Trident marketing.

These people also tend to have the DemonBreath from Hell TM.

smells like someone shit in a spearmint bush

Re:Some people already do this!

[Tony Hoyle]

Probably the same stuff they call Ice White in the UK.

http://www.sugarboy.co.uk/acatalog/Wrigley_s_Ice_W hite_Gum_.html

Don't think it actually works... nice idea though.

Re:Some people already do this!

[kurosawdust]

At the same time do you know for a fact it is not as good? I don't.

Seeing as how the gum probably doesn't contain fluoride, I think we can say pretty safely that chewing it is not as good as brushing.

Re:Some people already do this!

[Anonymous Coward]

How would sugar make your teeth grow crooked? Cavities, sure, but oversized teeth (that are sometimes pulled by orthodontists) seems pretty independent of sugar.

Re:Some people already do this!

[JrbM689]

I think it's incredible how a dangerous-if-ingested chemical byproduct of industrial manufacturing is praised as it's pumped into our drinking water and tooth pastes, while pollution from coal and gas power plants is reviled, though they rarely affect more than half of the population enjoying its benefits. I guess what I'm trying to say is, I find it amazing how glaringly hypocritical some people are.

Re:Some people already do this!

[Martin Blank]

Romans did brush their teeth using a paste made from urine, wine, and pumice, among other things. It was believed to whiten the teeth and help ensure the teeth were firmly fixed in their sockets, but it also helped prevent cavities.

Re:Some people already do this!

[alanthenerd]

The Ice White along with their other "White" brands claim to whiten teeth.
Their Orbit Professional is
"specially formulated with microgranules. Microgranules are proven to adhere to the surface of the teeth to provide additional cleaning benefits."

Re:Some people already do this!

[stu72]

There is a good deal of evidence that sugar and refined carbohydrates and other modern foods affect whatever it is that causes teeth and dental arches to grow properly. This is not about their immediate effect on the tissues of your mouth, this about their effect inside your body, impairing it's ability to develop properly.

Of course, no one wants to give up their sugar or white bread (unless it's part of a fashionable but short lived diet plan atkins) so no one really listens:

http://www.google.ca/search?q=weston+a+price

Re:Some people already do this!

[kurosawdust]

I guess what I'm trying to say is, I find it amazing how glaringly hypocritical some people are.

You mean like the people who ramble on and on about a fluoride conspiracy and then wonder why their teeth are messed up and full of cavities?

Re:Some people already do this!

[Schemat1c]

Romans did brush their teeth using a paste made from urine, wine, and pumice, among other things. It was believed to whiten the teeth and help ensure the teeth were firmly fixed in their sockets, but it also helped prevent cavities.

I didn't know they brushed their teeth but we brush our teeth and still have to see a dentist every 6 months. It's pretty rare to find someone that has never had a cavity or crooked teeth. There was a complete range of age with the skeletons from infant to elderly and not person had a single cavity. You just wouldn't see that with a group of modern humans.

Re:Some people already do this!

[JrbM689]

I don't see the hypocrisy in that, but I'd like to inform you, since I stopped drinking fluoridated tap water and started using natural toothpastes (I recommend JASON products which can be found at www.jason-natural.com), my teeth, and not to mention my body, have been much healthier. Have a nice day, Slashdot.

Re:Some people already do this!

[hal2814]

Those Romans might just be related. In my family, we don't get cavities. I've never heard of genetic dispoition to cavities but I would find it odd that nobody on my dad's side of the family has ever had a cavity if there wasn't such a thing. Crooked teeth on the other hand is pretty common in my family.

Re:Some people already do this!

[SacredNaCl]

Seeing as how the gum probably doesn't contain fluoride, I think we can say pretty safely that chewing it is not as good as brushing.

The gum probably isn't as good as brushing, but that has to do with reasons of bacteria forming what is called a biofilm which needs to be broken up to be eliminated readily. A good brushing action is more effecting than the chewing action of gum.

This is nothing to do with fluoride. Fluoride would be counter productive here. The only circumstances people benefit from low dose topical fluoride is when they are children, and the effect is rather unremarkable. You can look at places that use it, and don't use, and not see any tangible benefit in dental outcomes outside of a few years in the teens. Once adulthood sets in, fluoridated areas fare worse in several outcome measures than non-fluoridated. Once adulthood sets in and the teeth are formed, as in the case of combat soldiers, it becomes entirely counterproductive. Its also counterproducive when the dose is excessive, as in the case of many cities in the USA where they have fluoridated water, use fluoride toothpaste, and consume numerous products (cereals, beer [used to stop brewing process in American beers], other beverages, plant stores like tea..etc) that contain fluoride compounds, in addition exposure through the air from steel, aluminum, nuclear materials production, other metals, phosphate fertilizer manufacture, and burning coal.

The teeth are not the only part of the body affected by fluoride as well. It has been shown to store in the bones and cause brittle bones, a demonstratable increase in hip fractures, it is neurotoxic (which has been demonstrated on multilple species of animals and people working in nuclear processing and aluminum manufacturing facilities) can cause confusion, delerium, decrease in intelligence and other damage to the nervous system that does not appear to be short term, it can lead to arthritic changes in the joints, there is also the matter of a demonstrable increase in bone cancer in boys, dental fluorsis, skeletal fluorosis, damage to the spine and nerves in the spine. It is a cumulative poison, and one of the more toxic ones in regular use.

The military actually tried high dose fluoride treatments in combat situations to prevent tooth decay. They did this in Vietnam, every 6 months soldiers in the field would be called back to use a high dose fluoride tooth paste, and a high dose multicompound fluoride rinse. The results are what you would except, a very short term decline in dental carries, as the fluorsing effects did indeed make the outer enamel shell of the tooth harder, but this occured at the expense the material inside of the tooth. A year later their teeth were crumbling & they were far worse off than those who had not had the treatment at all. The only benefit was short term, it allowed the warfighter to stay out in the field without breaks for dental care for a few months at the expense of damage to all of their teeth later.

There are other methods that could be employed with a delivery device like gum that would likely be more effective. Zinc gluconate and folic acid in a gum would make a very inhospitable environment for bacteria, you could also add antibacterial enzymes and low dose calcium to the gum. Zinc gluconate mouthwashes have demonstrated a high effectiveness for reducing bacteria and resulting decay. Folic acid washes reduce gum inflammation (thus the size of the pockets bacteria can get into to create problems). Antibacterial enzymes are used commercially already in dental mouthwashes such as biotene with a fair degree of effectiveness. Xylitol is also in wide use, though it is not as effective as the other methods. It will be interesting to see what their gum product actually contains. Even just increasing the saliva flow would be good in this environment. Stress tends to reduce the flow, and allows decay to set in faster. The body itself has means to deal with bacteria in the mouth, our normal state is not rotting t

Re:Some people already do this!

[Anonymous Coward]

I use Jason toothpaste too!! I also gargle with Freddy Krueger mouthwash and use Boston Strangler brand dental floss.

It must be a coincidence that no girls want to talk to me after they use the bathroom in my apartment.

Re:Some people already do this!

[Martin Blank]

I haven't seen a dentist in... 12 years? No cavities that I know of, but I have a wisdom tooth lurking below the surface that I might need to have looked at, and that at age 31.

Re:Some people already do this!

[kurosawdust]

I don't see the hypocrisy in that, but I'd like to inform you, since I stopped drinking fluoridated tap water and started using natural toothpastes (I recommend JASON products which can be found at www.jason-natural.com), my teeth, and not to mention my body, have been much healthier.

Wow. One instance of anecdotal evidence. I'm sold. WE MUST ATTACK THE EVIL FLUORIDE CONSPIRACY! We must remove this lethal toxin from our waters and toothpastes! I mean, nobody really dies from brushing their teeth properly with fluoride toothpaste, but it's lethal! And lethal is BAD! And Jason Toothpaste is natural, and natural is GOOD! Well, except for poison ivy...that's natural, and not so good. Oh and viruses - natural, not too good.

Here's an idea - switch to cheaper, fluoride-based toothpastes for a while, and use the money you saved from not buying expensive organic tea-leaf toothpaste to enroll in a science class and find out why one instance of anecdotal evidence does not a proof make. Have a nice day, you Rugged Iconoclast, you.

Re:Some people already do this!

[Schemat1c]

I haven't seen a dentist in... 12 years? No cavities that I know of, but I have a wisdom tooth lurking below the surface that I might need to have looked at, and that at age 31.

Well, you are the exception not the rule. But, 12 years since anyone's looked at your teeth. You could very well have multiple cavities and not even know or worse yet the beginning stages of gum disease. Just because you are not in pain doesn't mean your teeth are healthy.

Re:Some people already do this!

[kurosawdust]

I read the first few paragraphs of your fluoride conspiracy diatribe, and as far as I can tell, all of the results you're referencing (well, not referencing...you didnt really reference anything) describe situations where people or animals were given enormous amounts of fluoride, far in excess of what the ADA recommends. Would you be surprised if a study found ill effects in humans who swallowed 125 times the recommended dose of aspirin? You can believe this rubbish if you want, but at least be consistent - aspirin too should be condemned by your standards.

I guess the Institute of Medicine, the National Research Council, the US Dept of Health, the Center for Disease Control, and the World Health Organization are all in on it too, right? This conspiracy reaches much further than we thought! :P

Re:Some people already do this!

[SacredNaCl]

I read the first few paragraphs of your fluoride conspiracy diatribe, and as far as I can tell, all of the results you're referencing (well, not referencing...you didnt really reference anything) describe situations where people or animals were given enormous amounts of fluoride, far in excess of what the ADA recommends. Would you be surprised if a study found ill effects in humans who swallowed 125 times the recommended dose of aspirin? You can believe this rubbish if you want, but at least be consistent - aspirin too should be condemned by your standards.

I guess the Institute of Medicine, the National Research Council, the US Dept of Health, the Center for Disease Control, and the World Health Organization are all in on it too, right? This conspiracy reaches much further than we thought! :P

The WHO (World Health Organization) concurs with my position. The CDC does not, but I wouldn't expect them to. They are responsible for the addition of fluoride into the water in the first place, as was the sturcture of our government at the time. No, I am not talking exposures "125 times", I am talking about mere factor of 2 to 3, and one that is easily exceeded in a substance as toxic as fluorine compounds are as the quantities involved are very minute.

You mean like the people who ramble on and on about a fluoride conspiracy and then wonder why their teeth are messed up and full of cavities?

He would be in rather good company:
Germany, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Finland, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden have banned fluoride in the water, and several have gone as far as ban a wide variety of fluoride containing products. It seems countries with socialized dental programs figured out it didn't work out on the balance sheet. Their teeth are fine, and on average, in better health than the teeth of similarly situated countries who allow its use.

Proposals go up every year to ban the use of fluoridated salt as well. People who scream that criticism of fluoride is based merely on far out conspiracies have never stopped to look into just how low of a dose can cause very severe health consequence. In countries where fluoride occurs naturally in the water, and they lack the technology or financial means to effectively remove it, you can compare their consumption levels to our own.(Parts of the US use water with high levels of naturally occuring fluoride as well, and when remediation isn't taken, they end up with the same health effects.) The margin of difference between having a fair portion of your society sick from fluoride and escaping the worst (but not the mild & moderate effects of toxicity) is not high at all. Its often less than a factor of 2.

When I see a village in India, or Pakistan, or Sudan, or Kenya, or Peru with 20-30% of the inhabitants clearly suffering from excess fluoride exposure,and their water levels come back a mere 3.02 and we have 1.0 in the water here, then compare dietary exposures, and it brings their total adjusted exposure to 4.12 and ours to 2.78 ..We are talking about a razors edge margin of safety. This margin could easly be exceeded by a person who drinks more water, or drinks a lot of tea, or eats regularly grapes, raisins, wine (where the grapes are subject to cyrolite pesticide use), cereals processed with fluoridated water, or drinks beer occasionally.

It is plainly obvious to see that the US Government is not telling the truth when they say there are no measurable consequences to using less than 8ppm of fluoride in the water and diet. Cases of fluoride toxicity in the US itself show it merely takes longer if the exposure levels are in the 3.0-7.9 range. Cases from around the world show that a mere 3.12 in the water is enough to substantially affect the health of a large number of residents over time. Even the EPA's MCL of 4.0 is ovbiously set too high. (Of course, when they try to lower it, the bosses at the EPA tend to put them on unpaid leave and the union has to step in to sue to get peoples

Re:Some people already do this!

[tezbobobo]

My sister spins the same crap as this. As yet I've not found anyone in the anti-flouride community who are able to give me proper references to this information. I'm not talking internet sources here but journals (of the calibre of Lancet).

Unlike the crap about MMR which she still insists on spinning, I might believe this one... if there was proof.

I work at a university. The other day I had a student hand in a paper which referenced Wikipedia. WIKIPEDIA?! Come on. I tell my students I expect four references per page (minimum!) and about 5 sources per 750 words. For your post, handed in as a tuorial paper, I would expect 8 references, sourcing from both journals and texts. That's at undergraduate level.

Whilst I appreciate this is Slashdot, you're doing more than commenting on an article and making some very bol claims, and potentially dangerous ones at that. At least computer nerds are generally to contrarian too take these things on Slashdot authority.

Re:Some people already do this!

[ihtagik]

I believe the actve ingredient in these chewings gum (haha) is Xylitol which is a naturally occuring sweet carbohydrate that has been proven to reduce cavities/caries. PS: The new(?) Trident Orange Gum with Xylitol is fscking awesome!

Re:Some people already do this!

[Anonymous Coward]

LOL, you're a total dumbass.

Re:Some people already do this!

[Anonymous Coward]

My dentist told me it has to do with saliva. My(and my mother's) saliva is particularly good at repairing teeth. So I tend to get a lot of tartan that dentist needs to remove every now and then. On the other hand, my teeth seem to be almost indestructible. With my habits they SHOULD be all but rotten away. Zero cavities.

And if you know someone who needs it, Xylitol gum DOES help, at least some. The trick is to chew it immediately after eating, it inhibits bacteria while there is still sugar in your mouth, and helps bring acid levels down. Another trick is NOT to brush immediately after eating or drinking someting acidic(carbonated drinks, citrus juice). Acid softens your teeth, you risk brushing away the surface.

Re:Some people already do this!

[idiotnot]

General Jack D. Ripper: Mandrake, do you realize that in addition to fluoridating water, why, there are studies underway to fluoridate salt, flour, fruit juices, soup, sugar, milk... ice cream. Ice cream, Mandrake, children's ice cream.
Group Capt. Lionel Mandrake: Lord, Jack.
General Jack D. Ripper: You know when fluoridation first began?
Group Capt. Lionel Mandrake: I... no, no. I don't, Jack.
General Jack D. Ripper: Nineteen hundred and forty-six. Nineteen forty-six, Mandrake. How does that coincide with your post-war Commie conspiracy, huh? It's incredibly obvious, isn't it? A foreign substance is introduced into our precious bodily fluids without the knowledge of the individual. Certainly without any choice. That's the way your hard-core Commie works.
Group Capt. Lionel Mandrake: Uh, Jack, Jack, listen, tell me, tell me, Jack. When did you first... become... well, develop this theory?
General Jack D. Ripper: Well, I, uh... I... I... first became aware of it, Mandrake, during the physical act of love.
Group Capt. Lionel Mandrake: Hmm.
General Jack D. Ripper: Yes, a uh, a profound sense of fatigue... a feeling of emptiness followed. Luckily I... I was able to interpret these feelings correctly. Loss of essence.
Group Capt. Lionel Mandrake: Hmm.
General Jack D. Ripper: I can assure you it has not recurred, Mandrake. Women uh... women sense my power and they seek the life essence. I, uh... I do not avoid women, Mandrake.
Group Capt. Lionel Mandrake: No.
General Jack D. Ripper: But I... I do deny them my essence.

Stolen from imdb......

Re:Some people already do this!

[Urusai]

Re the Romans: a common sweetener back then was lead acetate. Its popularity has tailed off for some reason.

Most of the rest makes it sound like a Communist plot to sap and impurify our precious bodily fluids. I've dispatched our bombers already. And remember, no fighting in the War Room!

Re:Some people already do this!

[kurosawdust]

The WHO (World Health Organization) concurs with my position.

Wrong. See WHO Monograph "Fluorides and Human Health", series 59 (1970).

Only had to read the first sentence that time :).

Re:Some people already do this!

[SacredNaCl]

For a good overview you can read "The Fluoride Deception" by Christopher Bryson. Which contains a lot of the actual documents, and extracts from others. It deals more with the conspiratorial nature of the process of water fluoridation coming to pass than with the health consequences.

Just a quick scan of the literature in my own collection:

Fluoride and bone cancer (Osteosarcomsa)

1. Maurer JY, Cheng MC, Boysen BG, Anderson RL. Two-year carcinogenicity study of sodium fluoride in rats. Journal, National Cancer Institute 82 111811261990. [Found significant dose-related increase in osteosarcoma incident in male rats, in addition, found fluoride correlation with thyroid follicular cell adenomas, and a rare type of liver cancer.]

2. Hoover RN, Devesa S, Cantor K, Fraurneni JF Jr. Time trends for bone and joint cancers and osteosarcomas in the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) Program, National Cancer Institute. In: Review of Fluoride: Benefits and Risks, Report of the Ad Hoc Committee on Fluoride of the Committee to Coordinate Environmental Health and Related Programs. US Public Health Service, 1991 pp F 1 -177. [Found higher incidence of bone cancer in males 20 and under in fluoridated vs non-fluoridated area. Did not control for halo effect unfortunately.]

3. Cohn PD. A brief report on the association of drinking water fluoridation and the incidence of osteosarcoma among young males. New Jersey Department of Health, Trenton NJ November 8 1992. [While Cohn could not eliminate other sources of carcenogens, he found a clear and convincing association and correlation with water fluoridation and the incidence of osteosarcoma. Quote directly from study: "Thus it can be seen that, for these populations, the chance of osteosarcoma for males age 10-19 years was 6.9 times higher in the fluoridated municipalities."]

No or scant evidence of protection from Fluoridation or Fluoride exposure in dental carries reduction:

1. Hildebolt CF, Elvin-Lewis H, Molnar S et al. Caries prevalences among geochemical regions of Missouri. American Journal of Physical Anthropology 78 79-92 1989.

2. Yiamouyiannis J A. Water fluoridation and tooth decay results from the 1986- 1987 national survey of US schoolchildren. Fluoride 23 55-67 1990

3. Brunelle JA, Carlos JP. Recent trends in dental caries in US children and the effect of water fluoridation. Journal of Dental research 69 (Special Issue) 7237281990.

4. Attwood D, Blinkhorn AS. Dental health in school children 5 years after water fluoridation ceased in south-west. Scotland. Dent J. 1991 Feb;41(1):43-8.[No evidence that removing the fluoride affects dental carries levels.]

5. Kobayashi S, Kawasaki K, Takagi O, Nakamura M, Fujii N, Shinzato M, Maki Y, Takaesu Y. Caries experience in subjects 18-22 years of age after 13 years' discontinued water fluoridation in Okinawa. Community Dent Oral Epidemiol. 1992 Apr;20(2):81-3. [No evidence of increase in dental carries after 13 years of fluoridation being ceased.]

6. Kalsbeek H, Kwant GW, Groeneveld A, Dirks OB, van Eck AA, Theuns HM. Caries experience of 15-year-old children in The Netherlands after discontinuation of water fluoridation. Caries Res. 1993;27(3):201-5. [More of the same, no statistically signicant evidence of increase in dental carries when fluoridation ceases.]

7. Seppa L, Karkkainen S, Hausen H. Caries frequency in permanent teeth before and after discontinuation of water fluoridation in Kuopio, Finland. Community Dent Oral Epidemiol. 1998 Aug;26(4):256-62. [Again, evidence did not favor fluoridation looking at before addition, during addition, and after removal of fluoride].

8. Kunzel W, Fischer T. Caries prevalence after cessation of water fluoridation in La Salud, Cuba. Caries Res. 2000 Jan-Feb;34(1):20-5. [Found a slight decrease in carried after fluoridation was ceased.]

9. Burt BA, Keels MA, Heller KE. The effects of a break in water fluoridation on the development of dental caries and fluorosis. J Dent Res

Re:Some people already do this!

[hal9035]

long time reader, first time poster. I'm a dentist. This guy is just so wrong about everything, toxic doses of most any chemical are bad. Fluoridation of the water supply has been shown to be safe and very effective. Most of his claims of world-wide fluoridation are just mixed up. He almost understands what he is trying to explain. Fluorides in the water supply and in pastes, etc. are effective in adults, too. Ask your dentist for a fluoride treatment once per year, good for kids, good for all.

Re:Some people already do this!

[Anonymous Coward]

Since when are dentist qualified as toxicologist?

My understanding is denstist aren't even allowed to treat a common cold, much less get into the realm of toxicology. Has something changed that dentists are now allowed to practice in the field of toxicology? Are they allowed to practice even general medicine? No.

Re:Some people already do this!

[KylePflug]

I'm beginning to wonder how much of the dental hygiene industry is FUD. I don't know, and hence will keep brushing and flossing and seeing a dentist. But for what it's worth, as I child I had horrible brushing habits, like as in I might floss once a month and brush twice a week, at most. Yet I've never had a single cavity or other problem.

Re:Some people already do this!

[mrchaotica]

First of all, the enamel's resistance to cavities varies from person to person. Second, I think one reason the dental industry harps on brushing twice a day and flossing and whatnot so much is that it's required to convince them to do even minimal brushing. In other words, if people think they need to brush twice a day they might actually manage to brush once, whereas if they only thought they had to brush once they might not do it at all.

Re:Some people already do this!

[hal9035]

but, dentists are schooled extensively in fluoride toxicology. 2nd post wasted on defending dentists to this moron.

Re:Some people already do this!

[NFNNMIDATA]

I went the same route, took 7 years off (and only went before that like 2 or 3 times in my whole life). Had to eventually go for the wisdom tooth, which had developed a monster cavity. But no cavities anywhere else. The dentist said they are finding out now that some people are genetically prone to harbor the bacteria that cause cavities (or something like that) and some are not. I obviously fell into the latter group. But gum disease is another story, so if you have insurance and if flossing hurts at all I would recommend seeing the dentist regardless of the cavity situation just to find out your gum status. Unfortunately after 12 years without a cleaning you might be in for some pretty painful gouging (the old root planing/scaling)...

Re:Some people already do this!

[KlomDark]

Does the New World Order really care about your teeth?
http://klomdark.servebeer.com:8081/MessageBase2/Re adMessage.aspx?MsgNum=617

Floride makes you complacent and submissive.

Re:Some people already do this!

[the grace of R'hllor]

I'd like to second this sentiment. I am not in any pain either, but I have 10 cavities according to my dentist. He counts the missing chunks of molar and tooth as cavities, apparently. Obviously, I have dental problems.

Reconstructive work in (slow) progress.

Do not trust your own judgement in this, but see a dentist.

Re:Some people already do this!

[Chris Mattern]

Why do I get this vision of someone behind the keyboard going, "Ha ha! They're finally talking about FLUORIDE! Now I can show them all!"

Chris Mattern

Re:Some people already do this!

[jonadab]

> Seeing as how the gum probably doesn't contain fluoride

You should be getting fluoride in your tapwater, if you live in the civilized world, so having it in the gum or the toothpaste is largely moot in that case. (If you *don't* have fluoridated water, that is as bad for your teeth as not brushing; put the two together and you've got a recipe for root canals.)

Re:Some people already do this!

[Dogtanian]

Floride makes you complacent and submissive.

Especially when the United Nations are shooting it at you from their big black helicopters!!!!

If the background on that page wasn't enough to convince you that it's a wacko conspiracy theorist site, the mention of the UN "New World Order" certainly should have.

Oh yeah, and I *am* speaking as someone who's strongly opposed to putting fluoride in water supplies. I just happen to think those particular guys are nuts...

Re:Some people already do this!

[Dogtanian]

My dentist told me it has to do with saliva. My(and my mother's) saliva is particularly good at repairing teeth.

(Cheap joke follows, not to be taken personally)

I guess when you caught your mother kissing all those strange guys that she told you she was "helping those nice men repair their teeth"?

So I tend to get a lot of tartan [sic] that dentist needs to remove every now and then.

You've got tartan on your teeth?! My God, you must be eating too much haggis and whisky!

And if you know someone who needs it, Xylitol gum DOES help, at least some.

In all seriousness, I can believe this. I occasionally have a bowl of cereal during the middle of the night. I don't like brushing my teeth too often, but if I just go straight back to sleep, my mouth has that acidic "sugar bacteria at work" taste in the morning.

The breath mints I had also claimed to fight cavities (via Xylitol). Well, I was pretty damn sceptical about this, but... eat one of those before I go back to sleep and there's no acidic taste in the morning. They actually work...

Re:Some people already do this!

[aminorex]

I do like the idea of putting a milligram of LSD in every 100th stick.

Re:Some people already do this!

[Castar]

consume numerous products (cereals, beer [used to stop brewing process in American beers], other beverages, plant stores like tea..etc) that contain fluoride compounds,

Ice cream, Mandrake! Childrens' ice cream!

Re:Some people already do this!

[Lost Race]

I skipped going to the dentist for about 10 years once. Had some pretty serious dental problems, but no cavities.

Re:Some people already do this!

[KlomDark]

Why do people hate my background so much? I put a lot of work into it and think it's pretty cool.

Re:Some people already do this!

[Dogtanian]

Perhaps the problem is that you put too much work into your background, then.

White is generally accepted as best, and that takes about 15 seconds to include in the HTML.

An important lesson I learned is that "I put a lot of work into it" does not per se make something good. It also has the disadvantage that you have more emotionally invested in it and are less likely to judge it impartially.

If you're happy with it, that's fine. It's not actually that awful a background compared to some but its use as the background of that particular 'UN Black Helicopters' message gives the impression I originally described.

OTOH, the really paranoid websites are the ones with 50,000 words, 1000 sections and red, yellow and blue text and highlighting on the front page. *That* is a dead giveaway :)

Everyone.

[joemawlma]

Why wouldn't they just market and sell that to everyone? I'm sure most people would buy and chew gum if it could effectively replace brushing.

Re:Everyone.

[jasonditz]

Because they're still trying to figure out how to tie it in to some recruitment campaign.

Re:Everyone.

[Sen.NullProcPntr]

Give it to solders and if it doesn't work; oh well - we tried.
Sell it to the public and it doesn't work; "You owe me $1M for each tooth that fell out!"

Seriously, most stuff designed for the military eventually makes it into the consumer market. Just a matter of time.

Re:Everyone.

[mejesster]

... RTFA. It implies they will, and as stated in other posts, innumerable military technologies filter down to the civilian markets, recouping a lot of the R&D money spent.

Re:Everyone.

[dnobel]

Because it is not a replacement for real brushing. Everyone does not creep through the jungles/deserts of the world fighting "evil." What this gum is supposed to do is to provide a better alternative to not brushing at all. As a student of the dental arts, my guess is that they are using triclosan in the gum formulation. Triclosan is an antibacterial agent currently found in colgate total toothpaste that is more effective at killing the streptococcus mutans strain of bacteria that is responsible for caries. This ingredient, along with the physical motion of chewing the gum which removes some of plaque, is defintely better than not brushing. But when it comes down to it, their is no good substitute for the scrubbing power of a good brushing and the cleansing action of using floss between the teeth.

Re:Everyone.

[bl00d6789]

Something makes me think the American Dental Association might have a different idea of a brushing "replacement" than the military. They aren't exactly renowned for their health and safety records.

Re:Everyone.

[susano_otter]

They aren't exactly renowned for their health and safety records.

Totally! I mean, since the Revolutionary War our continental army has made no improvements at all in soldier hygiene, survivability, casualty rates, the human cost of achieving tactical and strategic objectives, the physical and psychological recovery of wounded soldiers, the minimization of civilian casualties and collateral damage, or any other aspect of an army's health and safety records. Naturally, this gum will be just one more empty gesture, right up there with the lack of advanced lightweight body armor, the steady refusal to train troops in first aid and send medics into battle alongside them, and the contiuing omission of more accurate long range weapons in all our battle planning.

When will the ADA save us from such incompetence?!

Oh, wait. What I meant to say was, You, sir, are a tiny party hat for my behind.

Re:Everyone.

[lahi]

I sure as hell hope it's not triclosan. The use of triclosan should be banned, or we end up with many more resistant bacteria strains.

-Lasse

Re:Everyone.

[Schemat1c]

Totally! I mean, since the Revolutionary War our continental army has made no improvements at all in soldier hygiene, survivability, casualty rates, the human cost of achieving tactical and strategic objectives, the physical and psychological recovery of wounded soldiers, the minimization of civilian casualties and collateral damage, or any other aspect of an army's health and safety records.

Why bother to improve when all you really need is to keep a good percentage of your population impoverished. That way you keep a steady flow of soldiers joining to simply get 'three hots and a cot'.

Re:Everyone.

[TuomasK]

Relax. Mostly everything is first designed for the military-use (they pay the big bucks) and then little later it always comes available to the consumers.

Re:Everyone.

[nacturation]

I'm sure most people would buy and chew gum if it could effectively replace brushing.

I think they need to do a bit more research. Most people would buy it if it came in the following flavors:

*) Root Canal Burst
*) Filling Freshmint
*) Extraction Passion
*) Crown Excitement

Just dissolve some nitrous oxide into the gum and it'll sell like hotcakes.

Re:Everyone.

[Anonymous Coward]

You appear to have a serious dislike for the military. Can I ask why you view those who choose to serve their country with such contempt?

Re:Everyone.

[metlin]

Ah, but there's a problem with that.

Most of the stuff that's tested in the military has been tested on a population that's usually in peak health (mostly males of a certain age group who are physically fit) and generalizing it across the general population (external validity) is usually a lot harder.

Re:Everyone.

[Anonymous Coward]

no -- not everyone is a lazy unhygenic slob that can't brush their teeth

this is a product nobody needs

Re:Everyone.

[susano_otter]

On the other hand, since there's been steady improvement the entire time, I think we can safely disregard your implication on purely logical grounds.

Geek version

[Morinaka]

I know a few friends of mine who could use this, let alone the soldiers.

NOT!!!

[Anonymous Coward]

They reason they are geeks is because they are NOT on the go!

Re:NOT!!!

[peragrin]

Yes but that doesn't mean that they shower and brush their teeth daily.

Of course I keep a toothbrush and toothpaste at work just to make sure I remember to brush daily.

I for one..

[Anonymous Coward]

... welcome the new Xylitol Overlords

News just in from Singapore!

[external400kdiskette]

Visiting Marine battalion jailed for life after found with chewing gum.

Re:News just in from Singapore!

[paulthomas]

The ban was partially lifted, opening a whole new market to gum manufacturers. I read an article around this time last year where an entrepreneur had started a chewing gum company just to sell gum in Singapore.
Sure, there are regulations, but I doubt the US government would get into any trouble over it.

Re:News just in from Singapore!

[The Cydonian]

The ban was never on gum consumption, merely on chewing gum sale, and even at that, "medicinal" chewing gum (aka "Wrigley's") is allowed. Basically, as long as the stuff doesn't muck up the sliding doors on our MRT system if you accidentally place eaten gum between them, we're cool with any gum.

treading gum...

[williamhb]

So when it gets stuck all over the streets the way regular chewing gum does, will it help prevent potholes?

Nothing really new there

[Pig Hogger]

Nothing really new there, NASA astro-nuts had teeth-cleaning gum for years.

Re:Nothing really new there

[Fear the Clam]

Meanwhile, the Russians just used a pencil.

Re:Nothing really new there

[Fox_1]

Do you mean this paragraph from your linked article?
Astronauts can brush their teeth much the way they do on Earth, with just a few minor changes. They can't leave the water running the way some people do, and they can't spit and rinse the toothpaste. They must either swallow it or spit it into a towel. Astronauts do have several dental aids. In weightlessness, salivation becomes more concentrated, which can lead to more tartar forming on the teeth. To prevent this, many astronauts chew gum and massage their gums to keep their mouths healthier.
Because if that is where this happened before then you are really stretching your interpertation of the article. I see nothing here to indicate that the astronauts aren't just chewing normal gum because of spitty mouths. I do see something here to indicate that the astronauts brush their teeth like normal folks on Earth.
This product, if tasty enough, could really change dental care for children and others in situations where they don't have their toothbrush and clean water. It's kinda a natural evolution of gum, I'm just surprised that it's only in recent years that the whitening gums and now cleaning gums are being developed.

Re:Nothing really new there

[hsoft]

*rofl*. Funniest joke I read in a while.

Re:Nothing really new there

[TenLow]

You sir; are teh awsome.

But really now, wouldnt a toothbrush and toothpaste be cheaper than developing gum a different agency already has from scratch? Or we could just play connect the dots on this one and have some inter-agency sharing.

I can see it now "Do you hate brushing your teeth? So do we. Join the army today and chew space gum after every meal!"

Re:Nothing really new there

[shutdown -p now]

... and the "pencil" in question was a small piece of tar.

Re:Nothing really new there

[Browncoat]

They should just invent Dentics like on Farscape...how do you feel about small worm-like organisms in your mouth cleaning your teeth?

Re:Nothing really new there

[ehrichweiss]

I don't know about NASA having it but I was commissioned to do a form of demo 3D animation about 12 years ago for a dentist who had been working on a chewing gum that would keep your teeth from being uneven(basically by acting as sandpaper and filing down the high points..I never fully understood it because it also protected the enamel somehow). He apparently got it patented and there were several other chewing gums that served other purposes that he learned about while getting the patent. Wrigley's was supposed to be buying it but around that time my "agent" ripped me off and I never got to complete the project.

Anyway, it's not like Trident, etc. are any better at cleaning the teeth than regular bubble gum is.

Re:Nothing really new there

[dcjensen]

I think he was alluding to another very old joke.

"During the heat of the space race in the 1960's, NASA decided it needed a ball point pen to write in the zero gravity confines of its space capsules. After considerable research and development, the Astronaut Pen was developed at a cost of $1 million U.S. The pen worked and also enjoyed some modest success as a novelty item back here on earth.

The Soviet Union, faced with the same problem, used a pencil."

True or not, still funny.

Re:Nothing really new there

[Mortlath]

IIRC, graphite from pencils is dangerous to have floating around in an enclosed area. Graphite is a conductor and could harm the many electrical components inside the space capsule.

After a little googling, I found this (scroll down the page a bit to find the explaination) which explains a little more about it.

Re:Nothing really new there

[RKBA]

The Writers Edge article is the most convincing explanation I've heard yet. Thank you for posting a link to it.

Stupid, but I laughed

[$RANDOMLUSER]

In Soviet Russia, gum chews YOU!

Re:Stupid, but I laughed

[tezbobobo]

Now this actually reminds me a little of my grandme, whose gums chew everything. That is, everything that doesn't escape from her mouth. Funnily. she's from Soviet Russia.

Re:Ummm... ok.....

[Anonymous Coward]

'Probably'? Why don't you find out how much was spent, and THEN flap your gums, if you want to continue looking like an idiot.

Never spent time in the field I take it?

where does it stop?

[caffeinemessiah]

First it's the microwaves and fridges and coffee makers in the labs/cubicles/dungeons that we work in. Then come along hyper-caffeinated beverages to keep you going longer and longer. Choose anti-glare screens. Choose ergonomic mice. Choose Microsoft f***ing natural keyboards with advanced wrist support and a line of shortcut keys at the top. Choose free soda and free sugar, pumped handily into your veins. What next? Briefcase-sized port-a-potties so that we never, EVER have to leave the glare of the monitor?? STOP THE MADNESS!!!

Re:where does it stop?

[bogaboga]

I will not be surprised that with time, it will be discovered that this gum does not work, or actually does more harm than good! In America, it's all about the money. Somebody is making money off this and another will make money solving the problems this gum will bring.

If the army wants good teeth for its soldiers, they should simply eat more natural foods. That's foods with less or no additives. Over the past 17 years I have come across many Africans in the US. I mean those who grew up on the African continent. What I have found with these fellows is that none of them has bad teeth. Many had never seen a dentist till they came to America. They have good teeth, why? Because they say, they did not eat any candy or junk food as kids.

Remamber, Vioxx was an approved FDA drug which was later discovered to be dangerous afterall.

Re:where does it stop?

[kmmatthews]

This from "caffeinemessiah (918089)".. You stooge.

Re:where does it stop?

[Anonymous Coward]

That'll work well, because we all know it's easy to deliver fresh foods to front-line soldiers every day. It's not like it rots or anything.

And Vioxx isn't actually all that dangerous. It appears to cause more heart problems than it's competitors (though still very few), but it saves in other areas. And it's still safer than letting the patient experience the pain, with all the physical problems that causes.

But hey, we still have lawyers sueing the company on behalf of people who didn't die of the problems Vioxx causes, and stupid juries giving away other people's money.

Re:where does it stop?

[Anonymous Coward]

they should simply eat more natural foods

Yes, because we all know that organic food stores are scattered all over the typical combat zone.

(rolls eyes)

Re:where does it stop?

[Lt.Hawkins]

Organic grapes and soy-bean-curd-tofu-chicken aren't exactly battlefield-friendly.

Re:where does it stop?

[Anonymous Coward]

I thought you choose "electric tin openers"

Re:where does it stop?

[Heembo]

> What next? Briefcase-sized port-a-potties so that we never, EVER have to leave the glare of the monitor??

I have found liquid only diets and Intermittent Catheters http://www.healthproductsforyou.us/SubCategorylist ing.asp?ID=19 to be an excellent solution to the problem of having to leave your computer during 72 hour caffinated marathon coding sessions.

Re:where does it stop?

[Anonymous Coward]

I for one welcome our briefcase-sized porta-potty overlords and feel flushed with relief that this too shall pass the lameness filter.

Re:where does it stop?

[Anonymous Coward]

not funny

insightful

Sounds nice, but the dentist told me...

[NCraig]

I've been told a few times that if you don't floss you might as well not even brush. I don't see how any gum could possibly be effective in the same way as flossing.

However, I'm impressed that the Army has finally found something of use for both soldiers and really lazy people.

Re:Sounds nice, but the dentist told me...

[SB5]

I don't think it is supposed to completely replace brushing, but to intercede when you are in the field, and don't have the time or ability to do so.

Re:Sounds nice, but the dentist told me...

[sahrss]

I've flossed maybe 3x in my entire life, but I brush regularly. No cavities or anything. So I can stop brushing entirely, you say?! Nice! Slashdot has the most amazing medical advice! :-P

Re:Sounds nice, but the dentist told me...

[Alioth]

Well, not quite. If you don't brush at all (especially with the typical sugary diet) you'll get cavities in no time.

One of the important things about toothpaste in general is the flouride. The flouride helps calcium present in your saliva precipitate out, and prevent incipient cavities from worsening. My Dad by the time he was 20 had many fillings. Thanks to the better toothpaste formulations, I'm 33 and still don't have a single filling - no tooth pain - no gum bleeding. I don't religiously floss my teeth every day either. Just brush my teeth with flouride toothpaste after each meal.

Re:Sounds nice, but the dentist told me...

[Anonymous Coward]

that's a load of shit. what keaps cavities out is not the floride, althought one of it's chemical properties does retard the microbes that can reduce enimal layers and leach calcium. It's the hot water recomended for not only comfort but to essectially disinfect your mouth. The scrapinaction from the brush removes gump.Tha's why in asian cultures, (along with their penciant to avoid sugers), their's little to no bacterial growth. The other reality is that although floride, does provide some limited molecular strengeth to teath, and calcium, their is mounting evidence it retards bone health, and intelectual development. That being said, ultimately any brushing with tooth past, rinsing, with comfortably warm water will help alot. Flos is also interesting because it's always sold as keeping gums health, win infact anthing that scrubs, and removes crud from between your teeth will do.

Re:Sounds nice, but the dentist told me...

[ScrewMaster]

That's true as far as it goes, but keep in mind that just because a particular regimen works for you doesn't mean it will work for everyone. I had an uncle that had perfect teeth right up until the day he died of lung cancer at 45. I also had an aunt who smoked three or four packs a day until she died at 93 of old age ... but had terrible teeth. Each person's body is different in terms of the specific biochemical assaults it can withstand. Some we can simply avoid (don't start smoking) and others require varying degrees of ongoing maintenance (brushing, flossing, regular professional care, etc.)

Re:Sounds nice, but the dentist told me...

[NCraig]

Well, if you think Slashdot has great advice, then wait until you check out 21stcenturydental.com =/.

Daily Flossing Can Add 6.4 Years To Your Life.

I'm sure there's a lot of exaggeration going on there, but I've seen serious research indicating that flossing does help prevent heart disease.

In searching for such articles, I found a bunch of "Real Age" web sites with lists of lifestyle changes intended to "add years to your life." This one takes the cake. Apparently getting a dog, having sex, not smoking, flossing, and going to bed early will double your life span. By this metric, Hugh Hefner will live forever (assuming he flosses).

Re:Sounds nice, but the dentist told me...

[onebuttonmouse]

I have no fillings and what my dentist describes as excellent oral hygiene. I have never used floss.

Re:Sounds nice, but the dentist told me...

[Anonymous Coward]

that's a load of shit.

Pot, kettle

what keaps cavities out is not the floride, althought one of it's chemical properties does retard the microbes that can reduce enimal layers and leach calcium.

Your teeth are made of a mineral called hydroxyapatite. Hydroxyapatite contains a hydroxide ion. There is a bacteria in the mouth (called S. Mutans) that produces an acid. This acid removes the hydroxide ion from the hydroxyapatite, making your teeth much, much weaker, leading to cavitites.

Fluoride ions (from toothpaste, drinking water, etc) replace the hydroxyide ions, creating fluoroapatite. Fluoroapatite is much, much more resistant to acid than hydroxyapatite, so the teeth are much, much stronger. Far less cavities occur.

It's simple high school chemistry. I guess someone wasn't paying attention in class.

It's the hot water recomended for not only comfort but to essectially disinfect your mouth.

You actually think that the hottest water that you can stand will kill bacteria? I've got a bridge in New York to sell you.

Re:Sounds nice, but the dentist told me...

[cocoamix]

I work in the field of dental research. (I work in a lab, so I never have to dig in anyone's mouth, ew).

The thing that really helps prevent cavities in your SALIVA. The bacteria in your mouth, streptococcus mutans, eats the sugar in your mouth. A byproduct of this is lactic acid, which breaks down the mineral in your enamel and dentin. Saliva acts as an acid buffer to prevent this. In addition there is a protein "web" called the pellicle layer which also protects teeth from acid and erosion.

Chewing gum stimulates saliva flow, which buffers the acid. Heck, chewing on plain old beeswax will help.

Re:Sounds nice, but the dentist told me...

[Anonymous Coward]

Sugar itself really isn't that big a deal. A little sugar in your mouth promptly gets turned into acid which your saliva has no trouble diluting. Problems begin when something gets stuck on a tooth and left there - the acid forms between the stuck on stuff and the tooth and has lots of time to do some damage before it gets washed away.

Re:Sounds nice, but the dentist told me...

[Anonymous Coward]

This is what I have always thought. I have never used tooth paste in my entire life, and now at 28 still never had a single cavity. It has probably helped me that I don't like neither sweets nor soft drinks. My teeth are far from as white as in the toothpaste ads, but my dentist says they're as healthy as anyone's, and they've certainly never given me any trouble.

Come to think of it, I have never chewed gum, either.

Re:Sounds nice, but the dentist told me...

[jafuser]

Here's a simple explanation:

- People who floss tend to have better personal hygine overall.

- People who have better personal hygine tend to take care of themselves more.

- People who take care of themselves more tend to live longer and healthier.

Therefore, flossing doesn't *cause* you to live longer/healthier. Flossing is an *effect* of having good personal hygine, which can help you live longer/healthier.

Re:Sounds nice, but the dentist told me...

[Anonymous Coward]

By this metric, Hugh Hefner will live forever (assuming he flosses).

By forbidding the Playboy bunnies from shaving their nether regions Hugh has succesfully combined flossing and sex.

I hear he's going to patent the process.

Re:Sounds nice, but the dentist told me...

[Maxmin]

Fluoride ions (from toothpaste, drinking water, etc) replace the hydroxyide ions, creating fluoroapatite. Fluoroapatite is much, much more resistant to acid than hydroxyapatite, so the teeth are much, much stronger. Far less cavities occur.

In the lab, yes. In your mouth, how long does this effect last for? After rinsing, and after saliva secretion washes any residual fluoride and fluoroapatite into your gullet, what effect does it have then?

The fluorides added to dentifrice are toxic enough that Crest and all other products of their kind carry a "Poison Center" warning on their labels. They're known immunodepressants, enough to whack the function of lymphocytes and leucocytes.

Add to regular brushings the ~1-3mg/L of fluorides contained in each glass of drinking water delivered by most municipalities in the United States, and that's quite a daily dosage. Over the teeth and into the digestive tract, where it's doing nothing for your teeth, and possibly not good for the rest of your body.

Much better to floss, brush, and rinse with alcohol-based mouthwash, and keep food and sugar off of your teeth between brushings. Just like Mom says.

Re:Sounds nice, but the dentist told me...

[jolande]

I have a friend who never brushes his teeth and has never had a cavity. His sister religiously brushes and flosses 3 times a day and has many cavities. Everyone is different so don't act like what works for you is good for everybody else.

Re:Sounds nice, but the dentist told me...

[Mateito]

Apparently getting a dog, having sex...

You might want to reverse the order of those list items.

Re:Sounds nice, but the dentist told me...

[Peter La Casse]

Much better to floss, brush, and rinse with alcohol-based mouthwash, and keep food and sugar off of your teeth between brushings. Just like Mom says.

Those activities are appropriate regardless of whether or not fluoride is added to the water supply. They're not an alternative, they're what you're supposed to already be doing.

Re:Sounds nice, but the dentist told me...

[Mateito]

It's the hot water recomended for not only comfort but to essectially disinfect your mouth.

No. To effectively kill bacteria, you have to raise the temperature to excess of 80 degrees Celcius (around 176 degF) for 15 minutes. Hotter temperatures take shorter times (such as the flash heating pasteurisation used for milk), but less than this won't kill the bugs.

Given that you cannot physically tolerate something this hot in your mouth, and nobody would do so for 15 minutes even if they could, hot water will not disinfect your mouth.

Incidentally, using hot water to wash your crockery and cutlery will also fail to kill the bugs unless the above temperature is reached.

Re:Sounds nice, but the dentist told me...

[PsiPsiStar]

Hot water is still helpful when brushing teeth.

1. Fever increases the environmental temperature above the optimum growth temperature for many microorganisms. If the microorganisms are growing more slowly, the body's defenses have a better chance of removing them all.

2. Fever leads to the production of heat shock proteins that are recognized by some intraepithelial T-lymphocytes (delta gamma T-cells) resulting in the production of inflammation-promoting cytokines.

3. Fever elevates the temperature of the body increasing the rate of enzyme reactions, and speeding up metabolism within the body. An elevation in the rate of metabolism can increase the production and activity of phagocytes, speed up the multiplication of lymphocytes, increase the rate of antibody and cytokine production, increase the rate at which leukocytes are released from the bone marrow into the bloodstream, and speed up tissue repair. Too high of a body temperature, however, may cause damage by denaturing the body's enzymes.

from http://www.cat.cc.md.us/courses/bio141/lecguide/un it2/innate/fever.html

Re:Sounds nice, but the dentist told me...

[Jesus_666]

Incidentally, using hot water to wash your crockery and cutlery will also fail to kill the bugs unless the above temperature is reached.

Hmm, maybe there's a market for kitchen autoclaves... With the right marketing there's gotta be a huge market of people who'd buy them.

Re:Sounds nice, but the dentist told me...

[Anonymous Coward]

It's simple high school chemistry. I guess someone wasn't paying attention in class.

I love when people say this.

This is not, and never has been, "simple high school chemistry".

If you got this as an aside in a class somewhere, fantastic, but don't act as if everyone should know this.

Re:Sounds nice, but the dentist told me...

[Alioth]

Well SOMETHING must have improved then (the sugar content of our typical diet has not). Most the people of my Dad's generation had a mouthful of fillings by the time they were 30. Most the people in my generation are still filling-free at the age of 30. If it hasn't been flouride toothpaste, then what was it? The same dental advice (brush, floss etc.) was given out when my dad was a kid too.

Re:Sounds nice, but the dentist told me...

[mwaggs_jd]

If you don't believe that dental health is important just ask Patrick Volkerding, the most likely reason for his healthissues is poor dental health.

Re:Sounds nice, but the dentist told me...

[natedubbya]

I'm 25 years old. I have never and currently don't floss. I've never had a cavity or gum problems. I do just brush my teeth, though, and go to the dentist once a year. Every year I hear two things from the dentist and his cronies:

1. "you don't have any cavities"
2. "make sure you floss"

For me, it appears brushing is just fine. Maybe my teeth are ideally spaced apart, or maybe flossing really isn't needed.

Re:Sounds nice, but the dentist told me...

[bluGill]

Have sex, get a dog.

I don't think it works that way either.

Cue the...

[rolandog]

catchy advertisements?

"Enroll, and Blow"

This is just like Trident

[Anonymous Coward]

Only it costs $78 dollars a piece. Go Uncle Sam!

Finns had similar product already in seventies.

[Anonymous Coward]

The dental significance of xylitol was "discovered" in Finland in the early 70's, when scientists at Turku University showed it could prevent caries.

Xylitol-Jenkki, the first xylitol chewing gum in the world, was launched by the Finnish company Leaf in 1975.
http://www.xylitol.org/

Re:Finns had similar product already in seventies.

[Ace Rimmer]

Ok...and now tell us what was wrong...

Re:Finns had similar product already in seventies.

[Anonymous Coward]

There is nothing wrong with xylitol.

Re:Finns had similar product already in seventies.

[Anonymous Coward]

Probably the U.S. companies have just been waiting for the patents to expire.

the perfect solution, except...

[Peter La Casse]

...I see no mention of the taste. An alternative that tastes like acetaminophen would be enough to get me to brush three times a day.

But it seems like a solution without a problem, as far as geeks are concerned. It's not like brushing takes a long time, or is unpleasant. It's worse to not brush, in the short term and in the long term.

Re:the perfect solution, except...

[brother_b]

Huh, I actually *like* the taste of acetaminophen. Probably from taking Goody's headache powders for years, which are a powdered mix of that, aspirin, and caffeine.

The first time I tried BC powders instead it weirded me out because there is no acetaminophen in it. BC tastes sour, as compared to Goody's potent bitterness.

Noooo

[pcgamez]

The gum was the only good thing inside a MRE (other than the rare bag of Skittles).

Re:Noooo

[Doc Squidly]

The jalapeno cheese spread was pretty good, too.

Re:Noooo

[Stephen Maturin]

"The jalapeno cheese spread was pretty good, too."
Hell yeah! If you're lucky, you get the vegetable crackers (and not the wheat snack bread crap) and you've got a damn nice snack!

Re:Noooo

[pcgamez]

The only thing I have ever liked abut the MRE was the strawberry? jelly that was found on occassion. Everything else is horrible.

Re:Ummm... ok.....

[EvilCabbage]

... how about the many millions that would have otherwise been spent on dental plans for soliders that could be saved by this gum being used gets put into other areas?

Chew 'em if you got 'em

[Anonymous Coward]

Teeth that is. The army was the first time I met 18 year olds who had dentures. There was, and probably still is, a class of people who believed that having teeth was a problem (especially if you don't take care of them) and that you should have them removed as soon as possible, usually before you drop out of school.

The army believed otherwise and encouraged you to at least keep a few. There were requirements to have some number of teeth to get into airborn and you'd see recruits desperately trying to keep their few remaining teeth to qualify for airborn.

Also, if you don't take care of your teeth, you gums get really sensitive, which is why some people don't like going to the dentist for a check up and cleaning. It was really something to see some big hulking badass practically crying in fear as they forced him to go to the dentist.

Re:Chew 'em if you got 'em

[symbolic]

Also, if you don't take care of your teeth, you gums get really sensitive, which is why some people don't like going to the dentist for a check up and cleaning.

The bills you get afterward aren't such a comfort, either. They take full advantage of you if you don't have insurance.

Re:Chew 'em if you got 'em

[jftitan]

In my case, I have dentures, and I've had them since the age of 15. No, I did brush my teeth, I brushed 2 times a day, once in the afternoon (after breakfast, and once before bed) Flosing was a problem for me, I could never get the hang of it without cutting up my gums.
  But what makes my case special, is that I was born with a syndrome that made my teeth soft, and perfectly acceptible to cavities. During a routine dential check, it was apparent that my teeth were going to cause more touble than without.
  So for a 5 year period I went through a transition of having a full set of teeth (mind you they were not perfect), to upper and lower set of dentures. I've had two sets since the beginning.
  The benefit I feel is, its easier to brush now, take them out, and brush. As for my gums, no they arn't sensitive at all, they do bleed when I go for a serious brushup, but after a few hits of listerine, and floride the next day the gums are back to norm. (Oh I still do my routine of brushing before bed, and after breakfast.)

  I personally didn't want the military dentists to pull my teeth (kicking and screeming is the only thing I can remember from those days), but in the long run... I can say I have perfect looking teeth, than anyone I know. I just wish those viza-line things were out when they were correcting my teeth placement BEFORE pulling them. Life was a nightmare then.

(Spelling & Grammar in this post has Zero, No, None, Zip of a warranty implied)

Re:Chew 'em if you got 'em

[raoul666]

The dentists I go to usually do the opposite - those with insurance get bigger bills, since they can pay them easier. Course, I'm in Canada, so nobody'll listen to me anyway. :(

You don't brush your teeth, you brush your gums

[Anonymous Coward]

Yes, it sounds crude, but Howard Stern taught me how to brush my teeth. Don't brush your teeth - if you brush your gums gently, your teeth will get brushed anyway. Brush the outside (front) and inside (back) of your gums and kiss your cavities goodbye. Flossing is also an important and oft-ignored part of dental health. Yes, it's anecdotal, but suffice it to say that I haven't had any cavities since I started doing this.

As a side note: It really sucks to see an attractive person who obviously doesn't floss because when you get within 3 feet of them, the breath is unbearable. Floss daily and brush your gums.

Bad teeth?

[dada21]

I've been burdened with bad teeth all my life. Cavities galore, crooked, cracks.

I always brushed and lossed. Flouride treatments and cleanings ahead of schedule. No good.

I have a mandibular excess, causing TMJ "pain" and massive nightly grinding. It was likely the source of my problem.

I saw a dentist in Poland about 7 years ago for a toothache. She explained to me the "conspiracy" of the ADA: pro-flouride, pro-abrasive cleanings, pro-short term fixes.

I did some research and found flouride is a poison that makes bones (and teeth) brittlel Yet I used it, drank it, showered in it.

I also found that most fillings are a massive amount of weak bonding agent, mercury and other toxins.

Finally I discovered, in my opinion, that many dentists are frauds like the chiro industry: fix you up enough so you still have to come back.

I stopped flouride intake (whole house filter, no toothpaste). I replaced my fillings (4-6 year lifrspan) with gold. I eat more friendly-bacteria.

My teeth are stronger. They don't hurt. Grinding hasn't ruined them much. My gums are healthy and my breath is significantly better.

The solution is mouth bacteria to consume the bad decay. Cut flouride, cut the US educated dentist. I now go to a foreign dentist who charges me WAY less per visit.

Re:Bad teeth?

[Anonymous Coward]

Dude, you're touched in the head. There's a reason that the main dental concern in the US is straightening teeth. The ADA is not an evil cabal, and flouridated water really does prevent cavities.

Re:Bad teeth?

[Anonymous Coward]

Have you ever heard of a thing called fluoridation? -- fluoridation of water? . . . Do you realize that fluoridation is the most monstrously conceived and dangerous Communist plot we have ever had to face? . . . Do you realize that in addition to fluoridating water -- why, there are studies under way to fluoridate salt, flour, fruit juices, soup, sugar, milk, ice cream? Ice cream, Mandrake! -- children's ice cream!

Do you know when fluoridation first began? . . . Nineteen hundred and forty-six. 1946, Mandrake. How does that coincide with your post-war Commie conspiracy, huh?

It's incredibly obvious, isn't it? A foreign substance is introduced into our precious bodily fluids without the knowledge of the individual -- certainly without any choice. That's the way your hard-core Commie works.

Re:Bad teeth?

[dada21]

Fluoride research on the web is very tainted by tinfoil hat wearers, but the offline research I reviewed shows that fluoride is positive only in baby teeth.

The history of water fluoridation is really interesting. I don't believe in the benefits.

Re:Bad teeth?

[Zardoz44]

That was strange, love!

Re:Bad teeth?

[Anonymous Writer]

I have a mandibular excess, causing TMJ "pain" and massive nightly grinding.

Have you ever heard of Orthognathic surgery? It's getting pretty sophisticated now, using CT scans to develop 3D models and Computer-aided surgical planning to assist doctors with surgery. It costs a fortune, but some health funds cover it. The company, Materialise, can use colour stereolithography to make a prominent nerve that runs along the lower mandible visible within a transparent model. This helps Orthognathic surgeons, because handling that nerve is one of the tricky parts of the procedure.

Re:Bad teeth?

[Anonymous Coward]

The history of water fluoridation is really interesting. I don't believe in the benefits.

Look at the many, many studies showing the incidence of cavities in cities with fluoridated water and cities without fluoridation, the effect of fluoride in toothpaste and mouthwash. Anyone who studied chemistry in college can explain it to you. Fluoride prevents cavities, period. Anyone who claims otherwise is a scientific fraud and/or kook.

In fact, due to the popularity of bottled water (which generally isn't fluoridated), cavities are making a resurgence with many people.

Now if you want to argue that ingesting fluoride has side effects, or that it is possible to brush & floss sufficiently to prevent cavities without fluoride, that's another story.

Re:Bad teeth?

[dada21]

Yup, been investigating it for about 10 years.

Unfortunately, the costs are tremendous, and I've spoken with many people online who had WORSE TMJ-related problems after the surgery. One lady spent over $160,000 and she's suicidal from the new pain. No thanks.

Plus, orthognathic surgery would change my profile and look -- in a notably good way (more attractive). My profile has always been part of my persona, even something I've sold myself with. Growing up feeling ugly and being able to turn it into an attraction is something one isn't so hip on getting rid of :) Even the lady loves the profile and gets mad every time I think about the surgery.

My TMJ-related pains are really reduced from smoking (which I haven't done in a few weeks now unfortunately) and exercise. I also find that getting rid of a pillow when I sleep really reduces teeth grinding. Chewing gum, in my case, helps with my TMJ-related pain, too.

I'm really interested in some new developments in growing natural teeth. I can't remember if its related to stem cell magic, but I know of 3 research studies right now that are regrowing teeth right in the jaw base. If that happens, I'll reinvestigate the orthognathic surgery.

For those interested in what my surgery would entail, the doctors would cut my mandible out of my mouth entirely. They'd remove about 1" of excess, reinstall it into my mouth, and grind my distorted chin to a smaller profile. Then, they'd extend my top toothline (maxillary) about 1/2", making my nose smaller and less hooked, and perform plastic surgery to reduce the rest of my nose profile. I'd have to have my teeth bound shut for up to 6 months, and the side effects of the surgery and medicine would mean puking often, but "fortunately" I'd be on an all fluid diet so I'd just puke back through my teeth. In the long run, there would need to be minor corrections.

Oh yeah, for up to 2 years before the surgery, I'd need braces to turn my teeth up to 20 degrees outward so when the actual surgery repositions my jaw, the teeth would fit. Very sexy, right?

Re:Bad teeth?

[blibblub]

While I am a relatively new dentist (graduated from UCLA a few years back) I must disagree with you.
As much as you may think, there really is no major conspiracy going on.
I do agree that most of the dentistry in this country is horrible. But I assure you that dentistry in most countries outside the U.S is a lot worst. I specialize in root canals and a lot of the root canals coming from east europe (poland, russia etc) are just simply terrible.
Believe what you may, but I highly recommend you not follow one person's bad experience. I would never recommend getting dental work done in a 3rd world country. It might end up costing you 1/5th of what it does here, but you end up getting what you pay for...which usually ends up being really poor material and poor quality work.

Re:Bad teeth?

[ILikeRed]

Personnally, I have pretty good teeth, and I think it is mostly from avoiding all water... (I prefer ale anyway.) It's not only the floride in water, do you know what fish do in that stuff?!?

Re:Bad teeth?

[dada21]

A good friend of mine's father is a dentist, and he's ambivalent on fluoridation of water and the use of fluoride. I guess it's a common debate between dentists.

I do agree that 3rd world dentistry can be horrid. The dentist I went to was a dentist for european movie stars and even politicians, which I trusted more than the jackasses I've been seeing for years in the states. I had a friend who had major work performed in India by a very highly respected oral surgeon, and his surgery ended up being only $30,000 versus nearly $200,000 here. He also paid a US doctor to oversee his recovery, and I believe that wasn an additional $15,000 or so.

I'm not kooky and continually research the research. For now, my teeth ARE better. My U.S. dentists both agree there is a markable change over the past 6 years. I still have one tooth that is failing repeatedly, but only orthognathic surgery will probably help it (second root canal is now necessary and there is almost no tooth left anyway).

I can appreciate that not even dentist is a nut, just as even chiropractic "doctor" isn't one either. But I don't trust those that don't have a good grasp of the realities of life -- everyone is different, and treating everyone equally is just plain wrong.

Sidenote: We've been dealing with the vet lately over a sick cat with cancer. I can honetly say that the vets are the WORST at screwing people over. Playing with heartstrings and taking advantage of the pet owners is so commonplace that it shocks me that people fall victim. After getting a $3000 estimate, we said we were going to check with other vets. Within a week it became a $2000 estimate, and now its down to $700. As soon as its $500 I'll pay, but I know many pet owners who'd tearfully accept the $3000 original bill.

I have no faith in monopolies. The AMA, the ADA, and many other medical organizations are unions and lobbyists to maintain the medical monopolies we see in the States. I'm sick of it.

Re:Bad teeth?

[dada21]

For every report that says unfluoridated communities have high cavity rates, I also see reports that say that they don't, or that they have lower arthritis rates, or they have lower osteoporosis rates.

The damn studies are too vague to get a grasph on what is right and what is wrong. What I can tell is that many dentists admit that fluoride IS needed, but for only a very small portion of the population.

Another thing that helps my teeth is my "lower carb" diet. By reducing all my simple sugars entirely, I'm sure it has helped more than getting rid of fluoride.

I hate spelling these words. From now on I decree that fluoride will be called Pagul, osteoporosis will be called Bemar, and arthritis is now Foobot. So much easier.

Re:Bad teeth?

[nharmon]

DUDE!!! Did you not hear the man?

His solution fixed the problem without all of this crap. This crap is exactly what he was preaching against.

Re:Bad teeth?

[Anonymous Coward]

My physics teacher once explained to me that the mercury in tooth fillings isn't dangerous, you see, when the dentist prepares the filing paste, he snaps a glas vial in two and shakes it (the glass vial is in a plastic tube) this way mercury and silver (don't know if it's silver) mix. Each mercury atom is encased in a group of silver atoms when the paste hardens this way, you don't get in contact with any of it. There was a test to see if the fillings were dangerous and the people with the most mercury in their system weren't the people with a lot of fillings, but the dentists themselves!

Don't know for shure, it could be a coverup for the tiny radios they place in your mouth (the governement owns CocaCola, shhhh, don't tell anyone).

Besides, it has been ages since I had a tooth filled with the silvery stuff, these days my dentist uses a white paste that hardens under UV light, I always freak out when she puts that phaser-UV-thing in my mouth. (maybe she uses it because it costs more, since she's allways so eager to make some X-rays).

Re:Bad teeth?

[Anonymous Coward]

Fluoride prevents cavities, period. Anyone who claims otherwise is a scientific fraud and/or kook.

Proof plz, or stfu.

Re:Bad teeth?

[Anonymous Writer]

I just had the surgery in August and things are going fantastic. Although, my condition was not very drastic, it was just enough of a pain that I finally decided to go through with it. It cost me in the range of $30,000, including the models. My teeth were only wired for two weeks after the surgery. That was the time I had to be on a liquid diet. Strictly broth, milks (dairy, soy, rice for variety), and strained soups (the little pulp bits clog up your mouth).

Then they put rubber bands on, which I can remove to eat. It was difficult at first, because I couldn't open my mouth too wide to get anything in. I couldn't eat anything really solid other than things like risotto, cous cous, as well as things like cheese that can spread onto crispbread. But as time passes it opens wider and wider, and I eat whatever I can fit in there that isn't too hard to chew.

In 6 months, my mouth should be opening normally, the braces come off, and things are back to better than normal. The things they did to my jaw were different to what you've described, but just as gruesome. I didn't have any side effects from the surgery or any medicine- I was simply on antibiotics for a week or two to make sure there was no infection. No puking at all. Not even the urge. In fact, the most uncomfortable part of the surgery in my case was simply the initial needle prick to start the general anaesthesia. I went out like a light, and woke up after the surgery. I was surprised how I just wasn't in any pain after.

In fact the problem wasn't pain, but rather numbness. Because they have to move around a nerve in the jaw, your mouth and chin go numb for a couple of months. It fades gradually over the span of six or more months. There is also the risk in some surgeries that the nerve is damaged and some patients end up with permanent numbness. However, the model I had made helped with the doctors planning their way around the nerve, and I didn't end up with that problem. It has helped with my TMJ, primarily because the problem with my jaw was causing it. However, it isn't meant to be a fix for TMJ because in some cases it doesn't alleviate the problem.

As for the thing with your teeth- why don't you just consider permanent implants? I know people that have them and they're just like having the real thing.

Re:Bad teeth?

[Jesus_666]

I also found that most fillings are a massive amount of weak bonding agent, mercury and other toxins.

They're still used that much in the States? While most amalgam fillings are generally considered to be okay many dentists over here in Germany have dropped them in favor of polymer and ceramic fillings. Probably because in the 1990s amalgam fillings were a point of public interest over here. Many pople still see them with mistrust.

Re:Bad teeth?

[GQuon]

Yup. The people who got most of the adverse effects were the dentist's assistants.

Re:Bad teeth?

[tezbobobo]

You are a dangerous idiot. If you can't back up what you say, stupid people may believe you. I hope one day you don't have to fight of a multi million dollar law suit because some feeble minded women didn't brush her babies teeth because of you.

As for your 'research', where is it? Don't give me internet sources, no serious scholar would accept those. I'm talking journals and texts.

Re:Bad teeth?

[dbIII]

I did some research and found flouride is a poison that makes bones (and teeth) brittlel

This was known long before anyone deliberately put flouride in water - the difference is concentration. High concentrations are nasty, but below a certain point those reactions don't occur.

As for fillings - there is mercury in my teeth. It will slowly diffuse out of the fillings over thousands of years at body temperature, not something I need to worry about.

"Chewing gum on line, eh?"

[Starker_Kull]

"I HOPE you brought enough for everybody!!"

"I didn't know there wuz gonna be so many!"

=BANG= -THUMP-

"Boy, is he strict!"

(Sorry, couldn't resist - with apologies to M.B. & Co.)

What does it do for the breath?

[brandido]

I think that is the more important question! I recall (not so fondly) meeting up with partners in computer engineering classes after we had been working on a project all night, and I must say the combo of no sleep, no toothbrush, coffee and cigarettes did not make for a pleasant breathing environment!

Other news: Cola to replace flossing

[geneing]

In other news: Cola to replace flossing

Re:Other news: Cola to replace flossing

[ScrewMaster]

Yes, and the latest research from the Air Force indicates that caffeine raises the heart rate and causes muscle twitching, thus providing all the benefits of an aerobic workout without the workout! Technojocks everywhere are rejoicing at this unexpected benefit from their favorite beverages, and are looking forward to growing massive pectorals while typing and pushing buttons on TV remotes. Brisk sales of caffeinated products are expected.

This could be really dangerous!

[Chocolate Teapot]

I mean, what if this stuff actually tastes good too? Frontline soldiers will be chewing it incessantly, thus rendering them an easy target for snipers in the dark, who will be able to spot them because of their gleaming white teeth. "OK men, keep your heads down, watch your backs and for God's sake, KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT!" I'd rather have plaque than a bullet in the gob anytime.

Re:This could be really dangerous!

[ziggy_zero]

And the opposing forces' commanders would say stuff like, "Don't shoot until you see the whites of their...really white teeeth."

sounds like they'd use xylitol

[file cabinet]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xylitol
http://www.xylitol.org/
http://www.saveyoursmile.com/info/xylitol.html

Certain Trident gums use xylitol

Once Again, Correlation != Causality

[Myriad]

They reason they are geeks is because they are NOT on the go!

<sigh>, when will Slashdot get it... once again, Correlation does not equate to Causality!

For example, sick people are not on the go. Geeks are not on the go, ergo geeks must be sick! Doesn't make sense, does it?

Now, that geeks are not on the go is supported by the fact that I'm sitting here on a lovely Saturday afternoon writing this. I'm certainly not on the go. However it's not because I'm not on the go that I'm sitting here posting on /., rather it's the other way around. I'm sitting here posting, which is preventing me from being on the go. Thus not being on the go is an effect rather than the actual cause.

Or something. I think I need some fresh air. :)

Blockwars: a free multiplayer, head to head game!

fido

[pintomp3]

is this like those doggie treats that clean their teeth?

Yup

[hsoft]

But no-thoothpaste is kind of... extreme. Fluorless thoothpaste products EXIST.

I came...

[crimson_alligator]

I came to chew bubblegum and spread freedom, and it looks like I'm all out of bubblegum.

Re:Ummm... ok.....

[bigtrike]

Why not just cut their benefits again while they're busy overseas? How else can we afford more tax cuts for the rich?

RTFA

[Anonymous Coward]

TFA says that a professor is developing it and the Army may be interested.

Re:Ummm... ok.....

[Anonymous Coward]

I made $31,000 last year after taxes. I got a nice tax cut. Am I rich? Or are you just stupid?

Uh-oh...this ain't good.

[Anonymous Coward]

Mr. Slugworth won't be happy about this one. Just when he's trying to regain market share in the wake of the Everlasting Gobstopper.

Well...

[Anonymous Coward]

I've never been on a battlefield or anything, but it seems to me that a soldier would have bigger problems than gengevitis on the field... :)

Intentions are right

[headkase]

If the US army didn't care about their soldiers they wouldn't be doing something like this. Soldiers are valuable and the US has reached a decision where they would rather expend steel than lives. Now, what really matters is that the US army is trying to encourage a higher quality of life for it's members.
Those brave kids are giving their lives right now for what they believe in. They deserve all the kinds of support that can practically be provided.

Re:Intentions are right

[TychoCelchuuu]

I'm not saying the Army hates people, because it doesn't, but they're not doing this because they just love the guys so much they can't stand to see their teeth less than shiny. At the beginning of the Iraq war, huge amounts of soldiers from the Fort Lewis Stryker brigade (I think) couldn't go in because their teeth were so crappy. This isn't a comfort thing, it's a "soldier will not be able to function due to pain/not being able to eat thier MREs" thing. The Army cares about the soldiers, yes, but no way it's going to spend lotsa money just to make them happy. It's all about combat readiness.

Re:Intentions are right

[headkase]

The army will invest lot's of good money into each soldier too, and yes the army is doing it for their own benefit but the soldier gains skills as part of the transaction as well. In a Machiavellian way it is all about combat readiness and that is necessary as a base but from there the values drilled into each soldier originate from the values of the nation as a whole. The values are all we have to hold onto when it comes down to it and I think the US values tend to be the kind that are suitable for real people to hold onto in times of duress.
Not disagreeing with anything you've said, I think we agree with different language.

Re:Ummm... ok.....

[Anonymous Coward]

If you made so little you must be stupid or lazy. Just ask a Republican.

Oblig. Futurama Reference

[Dachannien]

Fry: Big Pink! It's the only gum with the breath-freshening power of ham.
Bender: And it pinkens your teeth while you chew!

Re:Oblig. Futurama Reference

[dema]

Weird, I'm in the middle of that episode right now.

Fry: Full price for gum? That dog won't hunt, Monsignor.

Re:Oblig. Futurama Reference

[n0dalus]

Kissinger: Young man you have the bravery of a hero. And breath as fresh as a summer ham.

The Army needs to invest in Oragenics

[Genevish]

Here's the solution. OK, it's a few years away, but the Army investing in it would probably help it along...

Airdrop on Britan

[digitalgimpus]

I think we should airdrop these on Britian, special emphasis on London.

They don't need MRE's, they need dental care.

Re:Airdrop on Britan

[Anonymous Coward]

Good idea. And then we could airdrop tons of workout videos on USA. ;-)

Just what the world needs!

[kimvette]

More geeks with gunked-up teeth, now that they have an excuse for not brushing. I hope this product doesn't hit the private sector!

(hint to newbie mods: I AM MAKING A FUNNY. CHUCKLE AND MOVE ON!)

Oh Ya Right...

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm sure dental hygene is top priority, when some terrorist is trying to take you apart with an AK-47 or RPG. How about ending the war and saving the tax payers millions of dollars.

G.

Re:Oh Ya Right...

[kimvette]

When you're the one in the trenches, it matters to you. It's good that you want to save money, but cut the spending in the right places.

It's good to see that you are showing your gratitude (or lack thereof) for the very same people who swore their lives to protect and preserve your constitutional right to make that statement.

The money they're spending is a pittance compared to practically anything else in the military.

I'd rather the military spend money on our own troops' well being and raise their pay rather than bailing out every pissant country who didn't attempt to thwart would-be dictators before it was too late. America spends (well our politicians spend) far too much taxpayer money bailing everyone else out when we have plenty of our own problems to deal with.

The current war in Iraq could have been avoided if George H. W. Bush had finished the job in Desert Storm - instead he let Saddam go, and caused problems to continue. Hell, why did we even bail out Kuwait in the first place? They had plenty of money, they should have paid us back for bushing Saddam out - or we should have simply stayed out of it.

Likewise - in Afghanistan, as soon as the Taliban were overthrown, we should have pulled out and let them clean up their own mess. Why? Again, we have enough domestic problems without squandering taxpayer money on everyone else's problems.

My point? Again, it comes to cutting military spending in the right places, and where you spend money on new items/technologies/ideas, picking the right ones. I happen to think that improving hygiene which in turn improves morale and overall physical health is a VERY good thing to spend money on.

Re:Oh Ya Right...

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm not suggesting cut backs in military spending, hell I like to feel safe too, but how much is this war costing the US public.

I fully agree also with your point about not finishing the problem the first time, but unfortunately hind sight is 20:20. We've got Saddam, how much longer are our troops going to have to remain there. I don't see Bush talking much about a withdrawal plan.

G.

Re:Oh Ya Right...

[ZeroExistenZ]

If I invade your country, you're the terrorist?

Re:Oh Ya Right...

[kimvette]

Unfortunately because we butted our nose in there in the first place and amplified a mess (ref: Iran/Iraq war) we have a mess to clean up. :( I'd like to see a withdrawl plan as well, but then, I'd like to see a GOOD presidential candidate rather than a choice between a jerk and an idiot in 2008.

Unfortunately, we won't get either wish now, will we? We'll be in Iraq for 20 more years to come, and the 2008 election will be between two slimeballs, with the possible chance of a reasonable decent, intelligent human being in a third party who doesn't have a prayer of a chance of being elected.

So how can we cut spending? Stopping advances in warfare hygiene isn't the solution. Heck, I might buy that gum for camping/hiking trips where there may not be plentiful water.

If your so nasty you chew and have a sink...

[marcybots]

If you actually have access to a sink and still chew this, you are one most nasty individual. This was developed for people who are in jungles and desterts, not slobs who dont want to take a two minute break from playing everquest to brush their teeth every few days, or god forbid brush their teeth after their shower. Reminds me of my girlfriend's father at the family picnic when he started calling someone fat and my girlfriend's sister said "shut up, when was the last time you took a bath" and he said "well I was out boating with my friends a few days ago and the boat capsized..." he thought that counted as a bath.

Re:If your so nasty you chew and have a sink...

[assassinator42]

What about brushing in the morning and evening, and chewing this after lunch? It's a bit harder to bursh your teeth after lunch, although I know some people do.

Re:If your so nasty you chew and have a sink...

[tpjunkie]

sounds like she comes from good people

Re:If your so nasty you chew and have a sink...

[Anonymous Coward]

Sounds like someone needs to start dating outside the family.

Re:Ummm... ok.....

[Agarax]

Why don't we just sit here and spout more leftist propoganda and lies?

As good as they feel necessary

[stmfreak]

Having seen first hand the military's idea of medical dental care, I'm not surprised that they feel chewing gum can be an adequate replacement for brushing.

Re:Ummm... ok.....

[Anonymous Coward]

I didn't hear any lies.

1984

[Anonymous Coward]

Is that Bushian newspeak?

Wow

[ichigo 2.0]

I didn't know you have to massage your gum after you spit it out! I'm gonna go try it now!

Let me tell you about fluoridation, Mandrake

[Tetravus]

General Jack D. Ripper: Mandrake, do you realize that in addition to fluoridating water, why, there are studies underway to fluoridate salt, flour, fruit juices, soup, sugar, milk... ice cream. Ice cream, Mandrake, children's ice cream.
Group Capt. Lionel Mandrake: Lord, Jack.
General Jack D. Ripper: You know when fluoridation first began?
Group Capt. Lionel Mandrake: I... no, no. I don't, Jack.
General Jack D. Ripper: Nineteen hundred and forty-six. Nineteen forty-six, Mandrake. How does that coincide with your post-war Commie conspiracy, huh? It's incredibly obvious, isn't it? A foreign substance is introduced into our precious bodily fluids without the knowledge of the individual. Certainly without any choice. That's the way your hard-core Commie works.
Group Capt. Lionel Mandrake: Uh, Jack, Jack, listen, tell me, tell me, Jack. When did you first... become... well, develop this theory?
General Jack D. Ripper: Well, I, uh... I... I... first became aware of it, Mandrake, during the physical act of love.
Group Capt. Lionel Mandrake: Hmm.
General Jack D. Ripper: Yes, a uh, a profound sense of fatigue... a feeling of emptiness followed. Luckily I... I was able to interpret these feelings correctly. Loss of essence.
Group Capt. Lionel Mandrake: Hmm.
General Jack D. Ripper: I can assure you it has not recurred, Mandrake. Women uh... women sense my power and they seek the life essence. I, uh... I do not avoid women, Mandrake.
Group Capt. Lionel Mandrake: No.
General Jack D. Ripper: But I... I do deny them my essence.

Copied gratuitiously from the IMDB Memorable Quotes section. So you see, it's not a US plot. It's a commie plot.

Re:Let me tell you about fluoridation, Mandrake

[Anonymous Coward]

God, I love that movie. Definitely worth buying the DVD.

Re:Ummm... ok.....

[ScentCone]

This is what's modded as "interesting?" First, the Army (if you RTFA) is expressing an interest in this - it's being worked on by a researcher outside the DOD. Second, countless products like this end up in similar form, used in the private sector. Defense-funded/initiated R&D produces all sorts of technologies and techniques that impact the wider economy. I'm sure plenty of long-haul truckers, pilots, backpackers and other folks will find something like this useful.

You ask "how about investing the money ... into other areas?"

There are undreds of thousands of people on active duty in our military. Their health is hard to maintain in the field, and anything that assists in that, even if it costs a few million bucks, is well spent. Better body armor, better vehicles, and yes, better overall health from reducing gum disease as a vector for infection (especially overseas). Get a grip.

Re:Ummm... ok.....

[iamhassi]

" .... but how about investing the money spent (probably millions) in making this gum into other areas?"

um... is dental hygiene not important enough for you? Americans spent nearly $68 billion on dental services in 2002.

We'll benefit from it, practically every technology for military use has filtered down to civilian use. Ever heard of the microwave? Cell phone? How about GPS?

If this only cost a few million I think this is money well spent!

Re:Ummm... ok.....

[Agarax]

Lies and distrtion by the bunch of Socialists and bleeding heart liberals who infest slashdot and parrot off whatever crap they read on moveon.org to the other denizens here in a giant wanking session.

The real important part

[Barkley44]

Can I get it off my show easier when I step on it?

Re:The real important part

[Anonymous Coward]

Can I get it off my show easier when I step on it?

Rosie O'Donnell is a Slashdotter?

In the continuing coverage...

[carguy84]

The French have declared a ban on all gum now.

Re:Ummm... ok.....

[Anonymous Coward]

Why don't we just sit here and make egotistical ad-homine attacks, labeling everything we do not want to hear as unamerican, patriotic, leftist, rightist, far-left, far-right, democratic, republican, christian, conservative, liberal, partisian, or whatever-makes-your-left-nut-happy.

If you cannot add anything better than hate to a discussion, then just STFU.

Re:Ummm... ok.....

[Anonymous Coward]

Different from the first AC post, but you didn't mention what the lies were, you just had your own personal anti-liberal wanking session. I will agree with the first AC, I didn't hear any lies.

Gum?

[speed_of_light]

Recruit: You mean you can chew gum in the Army? Recruiting Officer: In the Army National Guard, You Can!

Wait....

[Tablizer]

Gomer, that aint gum! It is C4 plastic explo....

Hi, I'm Troy McClure...

[Xophmeister]

A chewing gum that cleans *and* whitens your teeth!

Let's bring out the inventor... Dr. Nick Riviera.

I can see it now......

[ShyGuy91284]

Iraqi renegade (translated for your enjoyment): Is that..... Chewing I hear???? American Troop spying on them: They are saying something. Too bad we left our translator at base camp. Iraqi renegade: THERE THEY ARE!! SHOOT THE INFIDELS!!!

Re:I can see it now......

[tezbobobo]

I would have modded you up.

Re:I can see it now......

[ShyGuy91284]

Knew I should have put in that disclaimer about the political incorrectness of that statement......

Obligatory Simpsons Reference:

[Gadgetfreak]

Bart: Dad, do I have to brush my teeth?
Homer: No, but at least rinse your mouth out with soda.

Bart After Dark

Re:Obligatory Simpsons Reference:

[CrazyJim1]

That's the one I was trying to remember! When I did a yahoo search for: 'Simpsons brush your teeth', I got the one where they fatten Homer. Dr Nick said something about chewing bacon instead of gum and then Bart:"And you can brush your teeth with milkshakes!"

Thanks, I'm glad someone made that reference because I couldn't find it on the net.

The trouble with xylitol

[sjasja]

The trouble with xylitol is that according to independent (= not funded by companies selling it) studies you have to eat humongous amounts of it constantly for it to have a measurable effect on your dental health.

And at those dosages it causes chronic diarrhea in a lot of people.

Clean teeth or clean undies, take your pick.

Re:The trouble with xylitol

[Walt Dismal]

Oh, you say that as if chronic diarrhea were a bad thing.

Re:The trouble with xylitol

[TuomasK]

The Xylithol-gum is proved to normalize the mouth's ph-level (acid-level), therefore it does protect the teeth very well when chew'd after a meal. ph drops when you eat (just about anything) and your teeth get under attack. The faster the mouth's ph-level normalizes, the better.

Re:The trouble with xylitol

[Anonymous Coward]

Xylitol also binds to the bacteria that cause dental plaque. It also appears to inhibit bacteria growth. See http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg16021564.500 .html

In Soviet Russia...

[Anonymous Coward]

Gum chews YOU. (Sorry, but I thought it was actually appropriate here.)

Harbinger of a more peaceful army?

[Junior J. Junior III]

Heard somewhere on a future battlefield... "I came here to kick ass and chew gum, and I'm all out of... oh wait a minute, they just airlifted in a whole pallet of this stuff. Looks like I won't have to kill you today, after all!"

Nerd power!

[Anonymous Coward]

This sounds like the perfect solution for the geek on the go!

Exactly what the world needs: millions of geeks never brushing their teeth.

Re:Ummm... ok.....

[rdoger6424]

That's Right! You can already see that Soviet Russia is secretly being replaced by America! Why would you think that Russian Reversal Jokes would be teeming with Slashdot?
</Comeback>

Muck, Ready to Eat

[slappyjack]

I seem to remember the rumor that the gum in our MRE's has stuff in it to make you slightly constipated, so you weren't shitting very often while out in the field. It also had the nice sicde effect of making for a nice solid movement. I always thought the food itself was enough to connstipate you.

Thankfully, I was only a reservist and didn't have to live on the goddamn things for very long.

Mmmmm... Beef brick, Pork Brick, mushy chicken in something... good times. The best part was sneaking the hot cocoa powder back to the barracks for a late night treat. Good times; everyone should do basic training. Its like getting paid to get yelled at while at summer camp!

Re:Muck, Ready to Eat

[Jesus_666]

Heh, tell that to the people making the phsyical. In Germany military service is pseudo-mandatory, but there are too many people for the Bundeswehr, so only about 50% of all people capable of service are used. We have five "capability levels" (Tauglichkeitsgrade), T1 to T5:
T1 ("fully usable") means that you are healthy, 1,75 m tall and have good eyes and teeth.
T2 ("usable with restrictions for certain occupations") means that you have slight health problems; minor joint anomalies, allergies, bad vision up to +/-8 Dpt (sph), +/-5 (cyl) etc. A T2 means that some occupations are outside your reach, such as jet pilot.
T3 ("usable with restrictions for basic training and certain occupations") has been obsoleted in 2004, people who would have gotten T3 now get T5.
T4 ("temporarily incapable of military service") means that you hae some condition that might potentially leave you incapable of service (e.g. you recently broke your leg and it's not sure whether it will heal cleanly).
T5 ("incapable of military service") means that they'd rather tape a gun to a scarecrow and fire it using string than give it to you. Cancer, diabetes, suicidal tendencies, a screwed up spine etc. will get you this rating.

Note that even the T3 candidates were incapable of fully doing basic training and the T5ers... Well, I got T5 because I am extremely shortsighted (-11.0/-10.25 Dpt); without my glasses I can't see anything more than 10 cm from my eyes without blurring. Now imagine the glasses break in the middle of basic training. Doubleplusungood, especially since the damn things cost 0.5 kilobucks.


BTW, one interesting tidbit: While military service is "mandatory", everyone has the right to refuse if (s)he has a good reason ("I belive that killing people is unethical" is considered a valid reason). However, if you refuse you have to do "civil service" (Zivildienst), which means helping out at retirement homes, hospitals etc. Now comes the interesting part: If you don't do military service because you got T5 or because the Bundeswehr never bothered to draft you you don't have to do civil service. While I think that civil service is beneficial to the person doing it (working with old/sick persons gives you a new outlook on life) I'm pretty happy that I didn't have to do it - it gives me an advantage of one year over people who did do it. Yes, I am a selfish bastard, but we're talking about having a better chance to a job here...

Re:Muck, Ready to Eat

[Dogtanian]

Now imagine the glasses break in the middle of basic training. Doubleplusungood, especially since the damn things cost 0.5 kilobucks.

Why so expensive? I'd assume that you could get glasses to that spec for 1/5 of that price. Granted, they'd be no-frills; e.g. bottle-end lenses that made you look a dork (if I was in your position, I *would* pay more for the nice lenses for day-to-day use), but I don't see that as an issue here.

What's the military's take on contact lenses? The soft monthtly disposable ones I use have never fallen out (the older hard ones I had were slightly more prone to this, but nowhere near as bad as you'd expect). You can carry another disposable pair, or two, or ten in your pocket. The only problem might be hygiene (i.e. you're more prone to get an eye infection from bad hygiene in the place where you *least* want to get one).

Re:Muck, Ready to Eat

[Jesus_666]

I guess I could get thick lenses but what really drives up the price is the anti-mirror coating. You can't buy glasses over -10 Dpt without that coating (at least not over here) and it's really expensive. Contacts might be an idea, but I know the trouble they can make (my brother uses contacts) and AFAIK they don't sell soft lenses for anything above -10 Dpt.

If I manage to get enough money together I'll probably have my eyes lasered. If they'd scrape three diopters off my eyes it'd be great, but of course I wouldn't trust the well-being of my eyes to someone who doesn't have an excellent reputation and lots of experience. At least not until I can get fully working replacements.

Re:Muck, Ready to Eat

[Dogtanian]

AFAIK they don't sell soft lenses for anything above -10 Dpt.

Have you considered simply getting the soft ones at -10 anyway, and living with the imperfect vision? I don't know how workable that would be, but it's going to be no more than 1.25Dpt out.

If I manage to get enough money together I'll probably have my eyes lasered.

Makes me glad that soft contact lenses are an option for me. 4 or 5 years ago, I said I'd wait at least 10 years before I even considered laser surgery. I'd still say there's at least 10 years to go; there's plenty of risk with that option, despite what the nice adverts might let you believe. If people want to go for it, fine, but I'd rather they went in with their eyes open (ha ha.... actually that wasn't meant to be a pun; though they *do* operate on your eyes while they're open and you're awake.)

Re:Muck, Ready to Eat

[Jesus_666]

It's not like I can afford surgery in the next few years anyway...

The soft lenses aren't a good option - I spend most of my time sitting in front of a computer or book (CS student) and lots of text + blurry vision = lousy productivity.

Re:Muck, Ready to Eat

[Dogtanian]

Hack a laser to draw information vector-style directly onto your retina, then.

Watch out for the Asteroids-style CRT, erm... retina burn when you've been looking at the same thing too long though ;-)

The Global War on Plaque

[Anonymous Coward]

Let's see, there's been
a war on poverty,
a war on inflation,
a war on illiteracy,
a war on drugs,
a war on pornography,
a war on terror,
a global struggle against extremism,
and now there's going to be a war on plaque?

Re:The Global War on Plaque

[Anonymous Coward]

The big problem with all these so called "wars" enacted by PR minded polititions is that they never seem to target the root causes of the problem, Alot of money can be thrown at a problem, and it appears that alot of action is being done targeting the symptoms while pushing the root causes underground and even extending the problem.

The result is that these problems don't get "fixed" and these wars are never "won". To really solve these problems would require an some in-depth thinking about our socio-political-economic system and global justice. Sadly these seems to be too many vested intrests in our current system, and too many on the gravy train from all the money being spent fighting these wars, that while I may consider the steps needed to be just "common sence", mainstream politics would consider them too radical to even fit on their spectrum.

MRE

[RoadWarriorX]

When I was in the Navy, they had these MREs (Meal, Ready to Eat) that already had these Chicklet-looking pieces of crap gum. Throughout my short stint in the military, I've always heard rumors that there were alternative motive on supplying gum in the MREs. One rumor I heard was that the gum was included a laxitive to make you poop better. OK, I could have believed that. Ever had an MRE? Case closed there. Another rumor was that it may have included experimental medicines that they did not want you to know about. That's a little far fetched, but I would not have put it past our government. Now, the military want their personnel to have better oral hygene? That's sounds like it make too much sense to be true.

Re:MRE

[interstellar_donkey]

I haven't heard the "mystery medicine", but it seems as if the laxitive gum in the MREs is true. I recently spent six days out in the field, and was all sotpped up until I started chewing the gum in the MREs. BLAMO!!! No more stoppage.

Unless, could gum have a plecebo effect in terms of pooping?

Gouvernmet funded means overpriced chewing gum

[NoSuchGuy]

What a waste of money.
In the end Wrigley will provide a chewing gum that costst $35 per package!

Unfuck yourself!

[Anonymous Coward]

Hey you stupid shit, the pentagon and the Administration are always looking to screw the little guy in the forces. Also, you're clearly too shortsighted to remember what his daddy, and the earlier republicans have done. Friends of the Military, they are not. Why so many servicemen support them defies me. They're always closing hospitals and bases (screwing over the towns that need them). They're always going after pensions and health care. They're always going after bonuses and hazard pay.

If one kept a journal of every time they tried to fuck over the backbone of the military, you'd have a thousand page book in short time. But since you're so sold on the party line, and how "liberals" (aka anyone against "them") are the spawn of Satan, Saddam, Lenin, Carl Marx, Mao, Stalin, Adolf Hitler and The Smurfs, then no amount of enlightenment is likely to eject your head from your ass, but it's worth a try, I guess.

Witness:
http://www.armytimes.com/story.php?f=1-292259-1989 240.php/
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/20 03/08/14/MN94780.DTL/
http://www.iupa.org/newsroom/PayDiff.html
http://www.military.com/NewsContent/0,13319,74425, 00.html
http://actforvictory.org/act.php/truth/articles/20 06_wont_be_first_year_bush_cuts_support_for_vetera ns

But, hey, they vote, and people support them also tend to vote, so they aren't so quick to clusterfuck their pawns in front of public scrutiny:

http://www.littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog/?entry= 7830

And when they do get around to giving pay increases, they're often less than the cost of living!

Ridiculous

[$exyNerdie]

This is ridiculous. Chewing the gum might kill some of the bacteria and do superficial cleaning but have these guys compared the size of a pack of floss to the size of these gum packs? Floss takes much less space (its just thread) than packs of gum and is much more effective in dental cleaning!

Re:Ridiculous

[Anonymous Coward]

You can't kill a person while you floss.

Re:Ridiculous

[mtec]

Now there's an idea with teeth...

Read between the lines.

[JayBlalock]

From TFA:

Gum was considered an ideal solution because the Army already issues gum to soldiers in their field rations...

...Dr. Patrick DeLuca, a University of Kentucky drug product developer, is working to perfect the prototype, trying to make it taste better and ensure that it retains its flavor and bacteria-fighting ability for 30 minutes to an hour.

Understand? It does not taste good enough to include in *MREs.*

I think that says ALL you need to know about the taste at this point.

Hyperplastia?

[ThreeDayMonk]

I don't know whether it's the same condition, but I had one hyperplastic tooth, i.e. it emerged with no enamel. It was soft and excessively sensitive. I never actually had any cavities in it, but it was quite uncomfortable, and bits would occasionally break off; I had it patched up a couple of times.

My grandfather had many more teeth with the same condition, and ended up with dentures at the age of eighteen or so.

Fortunately, I only had one of them, and it was right at the back. So when I had my wisdom teeth removed (all six, but that's another story), they removed the hyperplastic molar and left one wisdom tooth in its place.

Re:Well. maybe by your standards!

[Anonymous Coward]

I have no fillings and what my dentist describes as excellent oral hygiene. I have never used floss.

I noticed you're British. No further questions.

gum

[An ominous Cow art]

Does your chewing gum lose it flavor
At the Command Post overnight?
If your sergeant says don't chew it, do you swallow it in spite?

mod up

[wzzzzrd]

Therefore, flossing doesn't *cause* you to live longer/healthier. Flossing is an *effect* of having good personal hygine, which can help you live longer/healthier.

mods, that guy is insightful. this is a guide to interprete statistics. most people forget that statistics is about measuring variables (for the sake of duality often two). and the correlation between them is unknown, this is the reason of statistics, if there was a known correlation, statistic won't be necessary. you will find that the number of internet radio stations is growing as the temperature of the athmosphere grows, but the only fact this statistic provides is that both are growing. the rest is personal interpretation. and please, don't get me started with that "but-the-internet-is-consumig-electricity-and-ther fore-resources" thingy.

We are a military nation

[hey]

Seems all tech has to be aimed at the military these days. This gum, the robot controls humvees. The Penagon has all the money. Too bad. Would be nice to see some science with a non-military angle.

Re:We are a military nation

[fuzzdawg]

If you look through out history, military might has driven the need for better technology.

Re:We are a military nation

[fishbowl]

> Seems all tech has to be aimed at the military these days.

By "these days" you mean, the current era that began with "civilization", right?

Re:Xylitol gum

[PsiPsiStar]

A lot of Japanese or asian gums use xylitol and avoid the artificial sweetners.

Too much fluoride

[Nimey]

It sounds to me like you've just used/ingested too much fluoride. Not enough, and you get cavities. Too much, your teeth turn brown and brittle. I knew a guy like that from high school -- he'd gotten too many fluoride treatments from his dentist at his parents' urging.

I come from a small town with fluoridation. When I was about 10-14 years old, I took extremely poor care of my teeth -- almost never brushed 'em or used mouthwash, and I only got one cavity ever, in a baby tooth that soon fell out anyway. I now brush at least daily, and my teeth look pretty good -- fairly straight (my mouth is too small to fit all my teeth perfectly), no discoloration, though I haven't seen a dentist regularly for over ten years. Approx same deal for my sister, modulo she was better at brushing.

My wife grew up on unfluoridated well water, but took much better care of her teeth growing up. She has several fillings from cavities. Same deal for my parents.

Sure, this is a very small sample size, but I'd bet a larger study would show similar trends.

Naw, Capt'n...

[mtec]

I'm not be'in disrespectful... I'm just brushin' my teeth!

Vietnam and toothpaste

[kafka47]

I heard once that the Viet Cong usually had no trouble finding American soldiers deep in the jungle - because they could smell them long before they encountered them. I'll bet the smell of toothpaste carries further than most odours.

I know that if I were stuck in a rice paddy deep in enemy territory, I'd try to switch my diet to rice and water. If I smell the same as the enemy, they sure as hell won't be finding me merely by sniffin'.

/K

Xylitol?

[msormune]

Is this different from chewing gum containing Xylitol? Google it up, this may be REALLY old news...

Ask France how well keeping people poor works

[Anonymous Coward]

If the U.S. really wanted to keep a population impoverished you'd think they would keep the unemployment rate higher than 4% or whatever low number it is now) instead of the 25% France is maintaining in the border slums around Paris and other cities.

Impoverishment doesn't lead to higher rates of joining the military; It leads to nights on end of burning cars.

But!

[SuperKendall]

You can't kill a person while you floss.

But if you make it strong enough, you might be able to kill them WITH the floss.

At least then someone might actually use it.

Ob PacMan

[DrYak]

Yes, because we all know that organic food stores are scattered all over the typical combat zone.

Yeah, and also, once you eat these organic fruits, there's a nice sign saying "+200pts" that floats and blinks above...

What ever happened to the caries vaccine?

[DynaSoar]

Some were developed over 30 years ago. More have been since. Two clinical trials were completed 12 years ago. By now we should have a vaccine available for life long prevention of dental caries.

If this were for boners or baldness, it'd have gone through all clinical trail phases, been patented, marketed, genericized and an OTC version been made available by now.

More money to be made in filling teeth?

Swallow?

[Archades54]

can you swallow this? accidentally of course? or will it decide to moab ur beneficial bacteria, causing soldiers to have the runs whilst running from big gun toting baddies.

Body Armor > Gum

[Anonymous Coward]

They may want to design body armor that fucking works!!

Even better:

[Jesus_666]

Make the floss from plastic explosives. That gives you fresh breath as well as superior firepower and hey, Semtex ain't that toxic.

remineralization

[FlippyTheSkillsaw]

I went to the dentist recently and they prescribed a 1.1% fluoride toothpaste($7), saying that it would help remineralize some spots where the enamel is eroding.

Fluoride compounds, usually calcium fluoride, are naturally found in low concentration in drinking water and some foods, like tea. The ocean itself has an averaged concentration of 1.3 ppm (parts per million). Fluoride ions replace hydroxide ions in calcium hydroxyapatite, Ca5[(PO4)3OH], in teeth, forming calcium fluoroapatite, Ca5[(PO4)3F], which is more chemically stable and dissolves at a pH of 4.5, compared to 5.5 pH for calcium hydroxyapatite. --http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fluoride

From my studying in chemistry and human physiology, this jives. Fluorine is much more stable than OH, especially when you're dealing with acids (free H+ ions) which want to form a bond with the OH group and leave the molecule. Also, they say that cavities often come from the enzymes and acids that the bacteria use to break down food particles on your teeth. These enzymes and acids end up breaking down hydroxyapatite and expose the dentum.

Fluoride should not need be ingested for the fluoridation to happen. Simply putting the fluoride ions in contact with the hydroxyapatite should cause a reaction.

New meme?

[Anonymous Coward]

Will this now join the beowulf cluster of Natalie Portmans as a new meme?

E.G. Tom's Hardware shows how to overclock Durons and Athalons with liquid helium.
Meanwhile, the Russians just use a pencil.

Re:New meme?

[Anonymous Coward]

In Soviet Russia, pencil use you!

I'm really sorry, but someone had to say it.

Different behaviour at different concentrations

[dbIII]

The fluorides added to dentifrice are toxic enough that Crest and all other products of their kind carry a "Poison Center" warning on their labels

In high concentrations many things are poisonous. In low concentrations many poisons have little noticable effect and reactive ones don't build up. A lot of flouride ions is a very nasty thing (HF acid is difficult to work with and kills people in industrial accidents) but very small amounts make just enough of a change to allow the surface of your teeth to be replaced in a slightly acid environment just as well as in a slightly alkaline environment. Fluoride ions offset the effects of sugar in the diet on teeth.

Some very cool electron microscope work was done on this some years back where the inability of the microscope to resolve F atoms was dealt with by calculating just what structures would produce which unfocused images until a match was found.

Heres a new idea they might find useful

[Tandoori Haggis]

Self cleaning underpants.

Probably not a good idea to chew them though...

Hindsight shows it would have been worse

[dbIII]

The current war in Iraq could have been avoided if George H. W. Bush had finished the job in Desert Storm

No, we just would have had the current situation ten years earlier only with better armed Iraqi insurgents, fighting against a country with resources and not the third world Iraq invaded recently and very little help from the Kurds. The published opinions of experts at the time was that removing Sadaam would result in chaos and warring factions - just like what happened recently even with weakened opposition and greater forces deployed.

Daddy Bush only had to fight a battle, Baby Bush has to work out what to do with a hostile occupied state, and how to make it less hostile so that the deployment can eventually be reduced - a thankless task because it will take time and another president will get the credit.

far too much taxpayer money bailing everyone else out when we have plenty of our own problems to deal with.

It is a US problem - blackops from various agencies sometimes work at cross purposes to the military who then have to come in to remove a mistake by an agency like Noriaga, Saddam, Bin Laden etc. A US diplomat gave Sadaam a green light for the Kuwait invasion - perhaps they exceeded their authority and didn't interrupt the presidents golfing holiday to let him know - but Saddam had the past example of Kissenger meeting the Indonesian president the day before the Timor invasion and the US even demanding their allies stay out of it, so he probably was confident it was a done deal and his bank robbery by invasion would have no nasty consequences.

As for Afganistan, not enough people were left there to help clean up the mess. The consequences of this are already showing up on the streets of the developed world as the amount of heroin available increases due to large amounts of opium being produced and exported by Afgan warlords. The money from this goes into more weapons, making the situation increasingly harder to control amd the opposite of Iraq over the last decade where they were driven into the third world militarily by sanctions and bombing.

try sugar cane

[Brigadier]

sounds ironic I know (sugar) but the fibers in the cane give superior flossing. Ever wonder why kids in teh carribean have such sparkling teeth ?

Re:try sugar cane

[Anonymous Coward]

Ever wonder why kids in teh carribean have such sparkling teeth ?

Nah not really. Their teeth look so shiny and white because their skin is so black, of course. You also see this effect in the inner city.

Bah. I want genetically engineered mouth bacteria.

[nonetheless]

Gum? Bah. A stopgap measure. I'm waiting for new mouth bacteria.

yeah

[Bobbie]

It's time to kick ass and chew bubblegum but I'm all out of gum!

Head Work

[Doc Ruby]

This gum is something I've been waiting for all my life. Who wants to torture themself with a stick in their face for 5 minutes, several times a day? Especially after a tasty, yet corosive, meal. If this stuff works, it will also prove the value of government investment in innovation where toothpaste and gum corporations have failed to step up. Now if only they can perfect "shaving cream" that actually shaves, without razors, and without the burns that Nair and other inadequate attempts create.

Hello, duke nukem called, wants his one liner back

[Rodong]

I'm here to kick ass and chew gum, and i'm all out of gum.

Vaccine

[Pseudonymus Bosch]

I wonder why there is not yet a vaccine for the bacteria that causes cavities?

Re:Xylitol gum

[hyc]

I've been using Xylitol products for the past couple years. (Xylitol+fluoride toothpaste, gum, mints, granular sugar replacement...) Results are mixed. The toothpaste is good, the mints are good for clearing up ear and throat infections. The gum seems least effective to me; I think part of the problem is that its full load of xylitol is released too quickly. Bacteria in the mouth reproduce incredibly fast. Even when you've used mouthwash and killed 99.9% of them, they're back in full force in a couple of hours. (It's that stupid geometric growth working aginst you.) You need to have a sustained dose in your mouth to be effective. One thing about xylitol is that it promotes salivating, so it pretty much rinses itself away. With the mints, you know you're still getting a dose for as long as the mint is in your mouth. With the gum, you can be tasting the minty flavor for a long time after the xylitol effectiveness is gone.

The granular xylitol is kinda dangerous stuff. The label says you can use it as a 1:1 replacement for sucrose, but really if you take more than about a teaspoon at one time it will kill all the good bacteria in your intestines, and that will be a very unpleasant experience. (Trust me on this, you really don't want to find out firsthand.)

You have an appointment with "Mr. Gougey"

[Anonymous Coward]

I did what you did - but not going since I was 14. I had no cavities when I finally went when I was 30 (two years ago), but gum disease was setting in. It was in the early stages, so reversible. Still, it's taken about a year and a half so that dental cleanings don't frekin hurt like hell (they don't hurt at all when you go every 6 months). Course I never did (and still don't often enough) floss - don't buy that BS from the Listerine marketoids.

Re:Ummm... ok.....

[Anonymous Coward]

Does that mean we've finally put the last nail in the "tax cuts for the rich" lie? Can we start spreading the "tax cuts for the stupid and lazy" lie now?

I need somebody to tell me which frothing idiotic liberal lies to believe. Because there are so damn many.

Re:Ummm... ok.....

[Anonymous Coward]

Oh, wow, that is, like... the effort it took to actually enter the entities to do the less thans and greater thans... wow. It's like... the next TripMaster Monkey and stuff, for the effort to impress.

Re:Xylitol gum

[Zoyd]

hyc wrote: The granular xylitol is kinda dangerous stuff. The label says you can use it as a 1:1 replacement for sucrose, but really if you take more than about a teaspoon at one time it will kill all the good bacteria in your intestines, and that will be a very unpleasant experience. (Trust me on this, you really don't want to find out firsthand.)

I eat at least an ounce every day. I have eaten a quarter pound at a time in the past. I don't think I had any problems with the higher amounts other than loose stools.

What ever happened to the genetically altered gum?

[Anonymous Coward]

There was a Science News article a couple years ago about some researcher that had genetically modified the S. Mutans to no longer produce lactic acid. It was supposed to be included in a chewing gum. If you chewed it regularly it would replace the BAD bacteria with the GOOD via competetion for resources etc etc. After a while you would be left with only the bacteria that does not burn thru your enamel.

I heard a while after this article was produced that the American Dental Association purchased the research and buried it deep under a pile of amalgam. This is probably just bogus rumor, but I have to wonder...

I also heard some talk about sealants. Supposedly they say they are only good for kids but have changed their minds now and they are good for adults as well? I have genetically bad teeth. Not because of lack of saliva to buffer the acids, but because I have deep crevasses and high sharp ridges. Seems to me sealants might be the way to go for these soldiers.

I have a friend that is from China. For the last 25 years he has never brushed his teeth (so he claims) and he has not a single cavity (he had a checkup). Interestingly, his teeth are very round and smooth on the tops. His teeth are brilliant white...and all his wisdom teeth are intact.

I brush after each meal and floss daily and my teeth suck! 2 root canals, 2 crowns, sensitivity on 3 teeth. One tooth that got a filling that went too deep and damaged the nerve causing severe sensitivity to cold (probably gonna be my 3rd root canal). Genetics SUCKS...

chewing gum with bits?

[grrrl]

err here in australia we have chewing gum with bits in it ('microgranules') thats supposed to be a substitute for brushing your teeth to give u that 'just brushed fresh feeling' or some bullshit. cant say ive ever tried it

oh its called extra professional - anyone used it?

Convenience; a good excus

[Dogtanian]

Yeah, but strawmen don't make particularly good soldiers either (fall apart at the first hint of battle), so what's your point?

That anyone who eats "healthy" food is a hippy-vegan-organic-food-pacifist-commie idealist and that we should just shut the fuck up and let soldiers eat crap because it's "convenient" (or so the manufacturers say)?

Convenience and battle-suitability sounds like a nice cover for people to sell (and justify selling) processed garbage at inflated prices and bypass the obvious criticisms.

And no, I don't think you'd find anyone who'd claim that grapes were suitable for the battlefield. That shouldn't damn every healthy/unprocessed food to the same fate.

And here's why it's a conspiracy ...

[fygment]

a) Bacterial related oral problems take a while to develop, say longer than it takes to get potentially killed in combat. They can be dealt with after combat even if that takes months;

b) Troop losses to bacterial related oral problems are virtually nil. Exceptions are when the bacteria are assisted by shrapnel or stray bullets;

c) Mind altering drugs are only effective for portions of a day if taken in a dosage that won't risk incapacitation or death.

Conclusion: There's no compelling reason to worry about oral hygiene in combat. But troop motivation via drugs is exceptionally useful esp. when troops are battle weary. However, drugs don't last long enough for extended combat situations since safe/useful dosages are too small. Thus there is a need for a sustained, self-administered drug regimen ... say three times a day.

Solution: Get the troops used to chewing the drug-administering item under the guise of some innocuous activity such as oral hygiene. As needs require, secretly substitute the daily ration of hygiene gum with 'motivationally enhanced' gum.

This is only partly a joke.

Re:What ever happened to the genetically altered g

[ckedge]

> I also heard some talk about sealants.

Yeah I had a few molars sealed when I was a kid. They eventually come off - I think mine lasted 10 years or something.

My dentist says that it's very rare for an adult to get a cavity on top of the teeth. When you're an adult the most likely place for a cavity is in between the teeth, where they are close together and/or touching. Hence the need for flossing.

Of course perhaps I should have had those seals renewed - I ended up getting a couple fillings in the first couple years of University... Since then nothing.

There's definitely some genetics involved.

My gums don't bleed when brushing or anything, and I've brushed before bed my entire life (and flossed as well religiously starting in University). However my gums bleed when the dentists "test" them for gum health (poke them to see how much space there is hidden below the gumline along the teeth). They claim I need to brush and floss 3 times a day after each meal, but that's just SO much work. One dentist mentioned that there is evidence that people with freckles and/or red hair are predisposed to have more finicky/bleeding gum problems (I've got freckles). So there might not be anything I can do about it. I had braces for a year in high school, and I do have a receeded gum line that might be related to that, and/or that might be because I should have been brushing and flossing 3 times per day.

Because...

[Run4yourlives]

Vaccines are for viruses, to fight bateria you would use an antibiotic.

Not just for viruses

[Pseudonymus Bosch]

"Vaccines may be living, weakened strains of viruses or bacteria which intentionally give rise to inapparent-to-trivial infections."

Re:Xylitol gum

[hyc]

That's all I was referring to. I found it pretty unpleasant, after using it to sweeten a fruit punch mix. It seems you really need a lot of sweetener to make a soft drink taste good.

Oops!

[StikyPad]

Brushing three times a day is a tough task, especially if you're roughing it in the mountains of Afghanistan or in the Iraqi desert. Runyan said he hopes to see a finished product available within four years.

Looks like they just gave away their time table for Iraq. And it's only 4+ years!

Re:Xylitol gum

[PsiPsiStar]

Wow. I had no clue it was such a strong anti-bacterial.

15 years ago in Japan...

[Anonymous Coward]

From Lotte came No Time gum.

Might be older, but my earliest memory of it was around 1990. There's not much detail on the Amazon page, but search the web and various blogs and stores will turn up with more info.

Re:Xylitol gum

[Zoyd]

You said xylitol "will kill all the good bacteria in your intestines." That does not seem to be the case, firstly because people who eat it do not drop dead, and secondly because these PubMed abstracts reports measurements of faecal flora after xylitol dosing that do not seem to be consistent with a killing off of all of the good gut bacteria:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?CMD= search&DB=pubmed&term=xylitol+intestinal+flora

All animals were capable of adapting to 20% dietary xylitol and an accompanying enhancement of the ability of caecal and faecal flora to utilize xylitol was observed.

Carbohydrates and tooth formation

[Mark of THE CITY]

That may explain my having a bunch of molar cavities in the 'pit' of the bite surface, around age 22. The dentist said it was a failure of that area to 'fuse' properly, but now I wonder of this was aggrivated by sugar consumption.