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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!"
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.
... 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?
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.
The rock, the vulture, and the chain
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.
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<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. :)
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"They do not preach that their god will rouse them, a little before the Nuts work loose." Kipling, 'The Sons of Martha'
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)
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)
"Don't Forget to Salt the Fries"
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.
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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.
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.
"Nobody knows the age of the human race, but everybody agrees that it is old enough to know better." - Unknown
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.