Re:Why Are Human Teeth So Messed Up?
by tonyedgecombe on Tuesday August 01, 2017 @01:03AM
(#14898002)
Also, they didn't have refined sugar in their diet.
Id say this is the most important part.The sugar epidemic of our age is pretty crazy.
Re:Why Are Human Teeth So Messed Up?
by smilelogicortho on Tuesday August 01, 2017 @07:51AM
(#14899698)
While it is true that plaque can be removed with or without toothpaste, that fact is a little misleading in isolation.
The benefit of toothpaste is the topical application of fluoride. When applied topically in concentrations greater than 1000ppm, fluoride replaces a molecule in hydroxyapatite and creates fluorapatite. Fluorapatite is much more resistant to dissolution by acid. That is important because cavity-causing-bacteria in plaque gain entry into a tooth by bathing the tooth in lactic acid.
You can also use charcoal and salt to brush your teeth, apparently. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/C...
Also, isn't the first medical surgery in history, we have evidence of, related to the teeth ?
There's evidence that plant root fiber toothbrushes are at least as good as nylon bristle toothbrushes (keywords for search "miswak", "chewing stick"), eg: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15643758 (in my personal experience they work just fine, but they are more hassle than nylon toothbrushes because the bristles point in the same direction as the handle instead of to the side)
There's also evidence that flossing+brushing has no advantage over brushing alone: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19138178
Of course, medical research is notoriously unreliable, but it's at least plausible that ancient humans had all the technology needed to keep their teeth in good condition.