Spit don’t rinse
That was the advise given to us by the new member of our family. My nephew’s wife (to be) is a dentist. And because we are an atypical Asian family; we do not have a lawyer, accountant, doctor, or dentist in the family, Lohini now makes us a ‘Asian’!
You may recall, earlier this year, I wrote about my nephew’s civil marriage. Technically they are married but Asian tradition does not recognise the nuptials until the traditional ceremony is performed in the presence of the Gods.
So, here we are in late October preparing for the wedding ceremony. We celebrated Diwali, the festival of lights, on 24th October. It was a wonderful pause from the chores and preparation for the wedding. Not to say that I am doing much. It is my sister who has the bulk of the chores. But I am helping in my own way.
But back to the purpose of this article. Dental care.
I am a big believer in overall health and wellness. And part of that is dental care. I wrote about my dental emergency 2 years ago. Having seen my mother face a few issues with her teeth and gums, I made a conscious effort to not suffer the same.
Research also states that dental health determines heart health. It is worth our attention.
Here is what I learnt from Lohini, and I think you will benefit from it too.
The key points are three.
1. We need to floss before we brush
I did not start flossing daily until I had my dental emergency. My dentist had never insisted I floss until she saw me two years ago. My gums and teeth had been doing well until then. I see my dentist regularly and was diligent with my scaling. Both my dentist and I were caught by surprise when I had my abscess. Flossing became a must-do. And I did! I forced a change in my dental routine. And I stuck with it, and it had become a twice-daily routine. Sometimes thrice daily.
2. Spit, don’t rinse
Conventional brushing, or how I learnt to clean my teeth, is brush and then rinse the mouth with water. This is incorrect. We should brush our teeth and then spit out the excess toothpaste. No further rinsing with water.
I have now tried this for a few days and it’s HARD to break a habit. The automatic action to rinse is hard to break. Then there is the residual toothpaste in the mouth. It is meant to remain in the mouth to do its work. I am still getting used to it. But as even Lohini said, it is hard at first and once we get used to it, we can’t do otherwise.
I am still trying to make both a habit!
3. Never brush your teeth straight after a meal. Wait half an hour
Yes, this was news to me. When we eat, chewing releases acids to break down the food in our mouth. As we all know, digestion starts in the mouth. When we brush our teeth immediately after a meal, the acids are still active, and brushing helps the acid become a corrosive agent! Not good.
Three foods for thought.
This information exchange made me think. We are autopilot creatures, and it takes a pause, or new information, to understand, appreciate and rethink why we do what we do and where some of our old thinking may need an upgrade.
AND anything is possible when we put our minds to it – including change.
I am still fighting myself not to rinse. I am working hard to break the automation.
But I shall persevere until not rinsing becomes automatic.
And to Lohini, thank you for the information update, and welcome to the family. It is great to have you onboard! (dentist or not) 😉
As always, you can reach me at yoga@yoganesadurai.com