Please Take Care Of Your Teeth

Ecclesiastes 12:1-6, “Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them;  While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain:  In the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow themselves, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those that look out of the windows be darkened, And the doors shall be shut in the streets, when the sound of the grinding is low, and he shall rise up at the voice of the bird, and all the daughters of musick shall be brought low; Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and fears shall be in the way, and the almond tree shall flourish, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail: because man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets: Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern.”

The preceding Scripture passage is poetic brilliance! The writer (king Solomon) personifies his body as a “house,” and his teeth as “grinders,” and his eyesight as “windows.” Solomon says that his grinders are few! As humans grow older, our body slowly wears out, decays and breaks down. Ouch! Solomon writes that he couldn't see out his windows (eyes) like in times before. His winhttps://magazine.medlineplus.gov/article/gum-disease-by-the-numbersdows are now darkened! The aged king says that his house (body) trembles!

I'll explain some more Bible history in a moment, but first I want to get right to the point of this blog, which is to PLEASE TAKE CARE OF YOUR TEETH! The shocking statistics according to the Center For Disease Control (CDC), is that 46% of Americans by age 30 already have some degree of gum disease! According to The National Library Of Medicine, 70.1% of Americans age 65 and older have gum disease. Wow!

According to Smithsonian Magazine, archaeologists were surprised to learn from unearthed volcanic remains of the ancient city of Pompeii, that the Romans had perfect teeth!!! How could that be, since they didn't have the modern blessing of advanced dentistry? As it turns out, the Romans ate lots of fruit and vegetables in their Mediterranean diet. They DIDN'T eat all the toxic processed sugar, corn syrup and unnatural sweeteners that we Americans love and consume so much today! Sugar rots the teeth!!! Sugar is the perfect food for living bacteria that eats away at our gums and teeth!

I encourage you dear reader to take good care of your teeth. If you do, they will take care of you in your old age (God willing - Proverbs 27:1). Truly, an ounce of prevention is worth one pound of cure! Most people don't brush their teeth daily, never floss and don't use some type of antiseptic rinse, like Listerine. I like the original flavor. Scope is worthless, because it is just a mouth rinse. You need a product with alcohol that kills germs (like Listerine).

I bought an electric toothbrush at Walmart (by Braun) for $15, which works great! You should try to brush your teeth after every meal, especially after eating anything with sugar. Always brush your teeth before going to bed each night. I don't like to floss with string, so I bought some convenient Flossticks (they each come with a small plastic handle) at Walmart. I think each bag contains about 300 of them. PLEASE TAKE CARE OF YOUR TEETH!!!

There's nothing more painful than dental pain. Ouch!!! If you don't clean your teeth, plaque WILL build up along the gum line over time. When you eventually visit your local dentist in a couple or more YEARS, and they clean all that solid plaque build-up way from your gum line, you will feel STINING PAIN when you eat anything hot or cold. You see, there are 3 parts to your teeth (to put it simply). There is the tooth, the dentin below the gums and the gums. As we age, our gumline recedes, pulling away from the teeth. This decay process is speeded up intensely if you don't brush your teeth and keep them clean! As the gums recede, the dentin is exposed. Dentin is porous, like a kitchen sponge with holes in it. So when the dentist cleans your teeth, this sensitive dentin gets exposed, which is VERY PAINFUL when contacted with hot or cold foods and liquids (especially cold). I hate that stinging pain.

The way to avoid this in your future, is to brush your teeth after every meal. Missing here and there won't rot your teeth, just as long as you're in the consistent good habit of brushing your teeth. DON'T use a hard bristle toothbrush, because you can actually remove the protective tooth enamel if you brush too hard. You don't need to brush hard. It is not how hard you brush your teeth that counts, but how long. Take at least 30 to 60 seconds to allow the toothpaste to do its work. I really like Sensodyne's “Complete” and “Repair” brands. I also bought Tom's of Maine toothpaste and Parodontax toothpaste (all available at Walmart).

So stock up on toothpaste and use it, daily. Please don't ignore your teeth in your youth, or you will pay for it later on. A Root Canal and Crown procedure costs about $3,000 to $5,000. If you need a replacement tooth implanted, after a tooth extraction, you're looking at $6,500 to $8,500 per tooth! A half mouthful of implants could cost over $100,000. It's insane! Our U.S. government has utterly failed to protect Americans. It is just plain terrible and wrong that anyone should have to pay $15,000 to have 2 Root Canals with Crowns, and 1 tooth implant (but this is what it costs today in the United States).

Many frustrated Americans are traveling down to Mexico, where dental costs are about 25% of U.S. costs (but you don't know what kind of care you're receiving in a corrupt third-world country like Mexico). If things go wrong in Mexico, you're screwed! But it's not much better in the U.S., because once your mouth is damaged from an incompetent dentist, the damage is already done! Google reviews about dentists are helpful, and I encourage you to use them. It is fairly common for dentists to work on the wrong tooth! Humans make mistakes.

But a much better strategy is to focus on prevention, and not wait until you need several thousand dollars or more of dental repairs. The sad fact is that over 95% of Americans simply cannot afford to pay more for fixing a few teeth, than the cost of purchasing a brand new car! It's insane! Our government has done nothing to help American citizens keep their teeth. Since our corrupt government has been giving away U.S worker's manufacturing jobs since the 1970's, so that we cannot afford to pay for dental care (or anything else), our government owes it to the people to remedy the nightmare that they have caused. Our federal government has MUCH blood on their hands for betraying the people. 

filmmaker Michael Moore made a disturbing documentary in 2007 called, "Sicko" (watch full movie) about the dire lack of healthcare insurance in the United States. Michael Moore documents how 20,000 Americans die each year, merely because they cannot afford health insurance, so they don't have the money to pay for needed healthcare. The medical industry has no conscience!

In these modern times there is absolutely no reason not to take proper care of one's teeth. At age 55, I still have all of my 28 natural teeth in my mouth. I've had all 4 Wisdom Teeth removed along life's way, all of which were extracted in my youth for various reasons (I cannot remember the reasons why either). My mind is going...lol. I guess Solomon might personify the human mind as a “breadbox,” and mine is empty sometimes...lol. Seriously, my mind still functions well (by God's grace); I just forget to do things sometimes, miss things and make stupid mistakes. We all do!!!

I remember when I was attending Hyles-Anderson College (1985-1993). One Sunday I had parked my Dodge van on a city street, so I could drive the Church Bus all day. But when I came back to find my van, it had been stolen. So I called the Chicago police to tell them my van had been stolen! How dare some thieves take my van!!! I wanted to pray down fire and brimstone upon those thieves, whoever they were! The noive of 'dem!!!

Well, as I waited for the cops to come, I pondered the situation. After about 15 minutes of burning wood in my brain, the sudden realizing came to me that I had made a stupid mistake. I was looking for my van on North Avenue, where I knew I had parked it earlier that day. But in actuality I had parked my van on Milwaukee Avenue!!! The two street run adjacent to each other. North Avenue runs between east and west; Milwaukee runs diagonally between northwest and southeast. I was an idiot that day! At the time, I was just in my early twenties in age. So much for losing your mind as you grow older...lol. I called the police back and told them I had found my van, and it hadn't been stolen, I just made an innocent mistake.

Anyway, I love the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes (which means: 'The Preacher'). Solomon lived most of his life in sin. Despite being the wisest man who ever lived (as far as secular wisdom goes), Solomon lived a very foolish life and made some really foolish decisions! What a paradox! Any man with 700 wives and 300 concubines cannot be too wise!!! Solomon shamefully used the amazing gift of wisdom that God gave him to live a lifestyle of sin. Solomon was a sex pervert! Money, fame and power have destroyed countless men!!! If you want to test a man's character, give him some power!

I always enjoy listening to the inspired King James Bible. I encourage you dear reader to LISTEN to Alexander Scourby read the King James Bible. It will transform your life! Faith comes by hearing the Word of God according to Romans 10:17.

I like to share with others things that have blessed me, and helpful information, and advice, et cetera. In this blog I have written about a few different things, but my main purpose for his blog is to encourage you to brush your teeth every day. I was surprised when I learned that 70.1% of Americans age 70 and older have gum disease. I see so many people with rotting teeth, missing teeth and ugly mouths. I have never smoked a cigarette in my life and THANK GOD that I don't. What a nasty bad habit! Smoking won't send you to Hell, but it will make you smell like you've been there! If God wanted humans to smoke, then He would have put a chimney on top of our head. I hate cigarettes!!! Please don't smoke, because it will rot your teeth and ruin your health in multiple ways.

Avoid eating a high sugary diet. If you love sugar, I encourage you to read up online about the toxicity of refined white sugar. Read about what white sugar does to destroy the body's health. I brush my teeth every day! I rinse with original Listerine a few times each day. Since bacteria causes tooth decay, keeping your mouth clean will help prevent gum disease.

Also, you should get your teeth cleaned by a dentist every 6 months. If you wait 3 or 4 years, you might not be aware of serious tooth decay, and could end up needing to have teeth extracted. They don't grow back (unless you're a small child). Unlike sharks (who grow unlimited sets of teeth), humans only grow two sets. Just one implant (they pound anchors into your gum bone and then attach artificial teeth) can costs upwards of $8,500. I thank God that I still have my 28 natural teeth.

But I didn't always take care of my teeth good enough. I developed a bad cavity on my upper left molar last year. I needed to get a Root Canal and Crown done. It cost me $3,500 for one tooth! The procedure didn't go so well, leaving me with my tooth feeling weird. The endodontist didn't get all the tooth root out, so I still have some feeling and mild pain when pressure is applied to the tooth. I sure wish I had taken better care of my teeth before this problem started. Thankfully, I still have all my natural teeth (minus my 4 Wisdom Teeth). I may end up losing my upper left molar, but I am going to try to keep it as long as possible).

So learn from my foolishness. Take care of your teeth. By simply brushing your teeth after every meal, and avoiding eating lots of sugar, you can save yourself a lot of pain, suffering, money and grief later in life. I still have pretty good teeth, but I have plenty of fillings. That is because when I was younger I didn't brush my teeth as often as I should have. Since I didn't feel any pain in my teeth, or see any problems, I didn't give it a second thought. Boy was I stupid! In ancient times, people never brushed their teeth. But they didn't eat all the refined sugary drinks and foods that Americans enjoy today. Thankfully, it is very easy to take care of your teeth. Simply gently brush your teeth after every meal.

And also, avoid biting down on crushed ice and other hard things that can break your teeth. Thankfully I've never had that happen. Of course, life is unpredictable and anything can happen to damage our teeth (like an accident). But at least we should try to take care of the teeth we have left. Good teeth are a gift from God. All we need to do is take care of them, and then they will take care of us. I hope that has been helpful.