Good oral hygiene in LoS

[Rogie]

I cannot imagine many of us fail to appreciate a good smile, especially when flashed in our direction. An essential part of a pleasing smile is a good set of teeth. They don't have to be perfect but they should look clean and healthy.

 

I wonder how the Thais go about taking good care of their teeth? Any secrets of the oral cavity we ought to know about?

 

A few visits ago, I came across an unusual brand of toothpaste on sale in Thailand. It's called Herbal Twin Lotus. It was the first dark-cloured toothpaste I had ever seen - quite a contrast from the usual white sorts, or the stripey red and white kind. As it says on the packaging "the dark colour comes from natural herbs". They do two versions, Original and Fresh & Cool. I love them so much I use Fresh & Cool in the morning and Original before bedtime.

[kokopelli]

In the paraphrased words of the Bard on Avon, " get thee to a dentist".

 

From my experience many of the Thais avoid the dentist to the detriment of their teeth. Also a toothpaste with fluoride would be an asset since the water is not fluoridated. Once I took my bf to the dentist he did become a believer and now asks me to take him (and pay for the treatment).

[TotallyOz]

All the Thai boys I have know Brush their teeth on a regular basis. They are all clean and they try to keep their mouth clean and smelling nice. They go though tons of Listerine if you have it in your place.

 

None of them have ever gone to a dentist before. I have a habit of taking them and telling them the importance. The 2 long term BF's have gone with me once a year for many years and they still hate the trip but they do it.

 

I don't think there is a better gift to give to your boy special than to take them to the dentist.

[Guest]

Alternatively, if they avoid sugary foods and brush their teeth 3 times a day, there should be no need to go anywhere near a dentist.

A good friend of mine last went to a dentist over 30 years ago AND he has good teeth.

 

Also, there is always the risk dentists do work that isn't strictly necessary to earn revenue.

[Rogie]

Alternatively, if they avoid sugary foods . . . there should be no need to go anywhere near a dentist.

I agree. I have noticed the diet in the villages is largely free of sugary foods. I have never seen a Thai in the village drinking tea or coffee with sugar, although the advent of drinks such as 3 in 1 coffee (coffee + sugar + whitener) may change that. Likewise biscuits / cookies, sweet cakes etc are not often eaten in my experience. Fizzy 'soda' type drinks are available but I do not see people drinking them much. The village kids drink fizzy pop in the way I did when I was a child, almost as a special treat, and not guzzle it down every day like they seem to do in many countries.

 

We will all have seen old skulls in museums and been amazed at how good the teeth were. Sugary foods and drinks are a hazard. Thaiworthy has warned us off hamburgers, I'm sounding off in similar fashion and my target is coke, pepsi, fanta, 7-Up and all the others. Pure junk!

[Guest thaiworthy]

Pure junk!

 

It goes far beyond that I'm afraid, Rogie. The damage isn't limited to just the teeth, but effects all our bones.

 

The average American drinks 216 liters of soda each year. Soda drinking has previously been associated with lower bone mineral density in women and children, and one study in particular has focused specifically on the effects of diet soda on bone health. The authors commented that this research was sparked by the observation that diet soda drinking behaviors are often different than regular soda drinking behaviors – women often use diet sodas in an effort to avoid weight gain – either to stave off hunger between meals or as a replacement for calorie-containing beverages. Many women drink over 20 diet sodas per week.

These researchers discovered that parathyroid hormone (PTH) concentrations rise strongly following diet soda consumption. PTH functions to increase blood calcium concentrations by stimulating bone breakdown, and as a result release calcium from bone.

 

Diet soda depletes calcium and may increase heart attack risk

[pong]

some to several above:

1.switched myself to dentist checks+treatment in TH-as its so much cheaper-and they treat you like a human being, not someone to be scolded at-as he again has not brushed enough/proper or whatever- as if I would not know that after so many years. Had some long talks with a start-up dentist (the tipical smart Chinese) as he was also interested in how the systems work in Europe. he told me that tipical Thai only go to dentist if there is someone ''rotten'' in the mouth, hardly ever preventive. Was surprised to learn that a dentist here gets yearly money from insurance for all patients.

2.many Thai also told me that the Thai in general do not really like too much sweet things. Though those ''energydrinks''-redbull etc. also heave with sucrose.

3.was also told that Thai like to have even minor treatments under narcose or advacne painkillers.

in general I went to 2 dental shops in the last 5 years and was quite impressed with their treatments, available knowledge and uptodate machinery and kind behaviour. And this was not the hi-so Thaivisa hospital etc.

[Guest fountainhall]

this was not the hi-so Thaivisa hospital etc.

 

This is an important point as many farang visitors automatically tend to go to the dental departments at the main hospitals or a high-so dentist. I understand that a new crown now costs between around Bt.14,000 - 18,000 at these more expensive dentists. Yet, when I was recently with a Thai friend who was getting a root canal at a local Thai dentist (gay and cute!) in a small clinic at the foot of Thonglor, I noticed that the cost of a new crown there was only Bt. 6,500. Quite a difference!

[ChristianPFC]

The only problem I had was bad breath (of my Thai friends) from smoking, but the number is small. But I wish orthodontics (medical, not fashion) were more wide-spread, as I find it a turn-off when teeth are not in a row.

 

Oh yeah, they go through a lot of mouthwash! Unfortunately, neither mouthwash nor chewing gum can hide the smell of a cigarette, and I am very sensitive to it!

 

In Germany, health insurance requires you see a dentist once per year (otherwise, they don't refund dental treatment), which I do, even when abroad (England, France).

[kokopelli]

. But I wish orthodontics (medical, not fashion) were more wide-spread, as I find it a turn-off when teeth are not in a row.

 

Very funny Christian.

[Guest fountainhall]

Forget the food. It's what you drink that does it!

 

[Guest thaiworthy]

What happened in 1927? The martini was considered THE cocktail in the days of Prohibition - probably because of the "bathtub gin" of the era. But Prohibition ended in 1933. So what's significant about 1927?

[Rogie]

- "bathtub gin"

 

Not aware of that. Was it drinkable I wonder? Is that why the martini became popular? I've no idea as I seldom drink cocktails. Maybe because I'm a cheap Charlie and cocktails are pricey in bars and clubs, and I'm too lazy to make my own at home.

[Guest fountainhall]

What happened in 1927?

 

Apart from the drink's rise in popularity around that time, it’s perfectly simple, my dear thaiworthy.

 

Give each letter in MARTINI its corresponding number and you get 13 1 20 9 14 9

 

Take the 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th and 6^th numbers and do some simple math: –1+20–9+9 = 19

Then add the 1^st and 5^th numbers: 13+14 = 27.

 

So 1927! The two are incontrovertibly linked!

 

Whew!

[Guest thaiworthy]

it’s perfectly simple, my dear thaiworthy.

 

That's not simple! Must be the new math, which is now the old math. You didn't even mention whether it mattered if the moon is full.

 

I'm sorry I asked!

[kokopelli]

I noticed the '1927" Martini image has been used on T-shirts and Tin signs. Likely an old advertising poster for some bar or restaurant which opened in 1927?

 

The Martini was popular before Prohibition when gin was readily available. Bathtub gin was just some cheap concoction made with alcohol and water and dubious other ingredients to mimic the real stuff.

[Guest fountainhall]

Love that glass! Part of the secret of a good martini is a beautiful crystal glass. As an imbiber of extra-dry vodka martinis, some years ago I was thrilled when my sister - obviously flush at the time - gave me some Baccarat crystal martini glasses. They are classically simple, heavy crystal. When you pick them up, you know immediately you have a 'drink' in your hand!

 

If you are ever in New York, there's a lovely Italian restaurant on West 51st between 8th and 9th named Vice Versa (gay owned). They make the most fabulous martinis. Not only do they come in large glasses, they give you a shot glass on the side with the leftover from the shaker! After a couple of these, the evening sure does do with a zing!

 

And I'll bet they kill whatever germs might be in anyone's mouth!

[Rogie]

And I'll bet they kill whatever germs might be in anyone's mouth!

 

Assuming the person has healthy teeth and gums the mouth is a wonderful organ. When you consider all that gets thrown into it, it comes out smiling

 

Taking a walk yesterday I suddenly sniffed the unmistakeable odour of stale alcohol, then I saw its source - a local off-licence (place that sells liquor) was taking a delivery and a long trail of liquid on the street told me some careless person had dropped a few bottles. Luckily that stale smell doesn't permeate people's mouths after a few alcoholic drinks, so FH is on to something there. Even the smell of cigarettes on a smoker's breath doesn't last too long. Other fairly trivial things that give a person a temporary case of bad breath are chocolate and peanuts. So when you consider what the mouth has to contend with, cases of genuine halitosis are rare and usually have an underlying cause.

[Guest fountainhall]

Even the smell of cigarettes on a smoker's breath doesn't last too long

 

Sorry, Rogie, I have to disagree with that, although perhaps I am just too sensitive to the after effects of smoking. Even if it happens not to be on his breath, I can smell it on clothing. And if I have been in a bar with only a couple of guys smoking, the smell of 2nd hand smoke is still on my own clothes the next morning!

[Guest thaiworthy]

New York Plans to Ban Sale of Sugary Drinks

 

New York City plans to enact a far-reaching ban on the sale of large sodas and other sugary drinks at restaurants, movie theaters and street carts, in the most ambitious effort yet by the Bloomberg administration to combat rising obesity.

 

The proposed ban would affect virtually the entire menu of popular sugary drinks found in delis, fast-food franchises and even sports arenas, from energy drinks to pre-sweetened iced teas. The sale of any cup or bottle of sweetened drink larger than 16 fluid ounces — about the size of a medium coffee, and smaller than a common soda bottle — would be prohibited under the first-in-the-nation plan, which could take effect as soon as next March.

The measure would not apply to diet sodas, fruit juices, dairy-based drinks like milkshakes, or alcoholic beverages; it would not extend to beverages sold in grocery or convenience stores.

 

http://www.nytimes.c...&pagewanted=all

[Guest fountainhall]

I am sure some groups and lobbyists are going to start screaming about 'free speech' and all that. But Bloomberg seems to me the one national figure in the USA actually willing to do something about improving the health of citizens, reducing the very high rate of obesity - especially in children - and thus eventually driving down healthcare costs. And surely there can be no doubt that his campaigns against smoking and now sugary drinks will achieve that end.

 

Obamacare, Romneycare and all the other 'cares that are bandied about merely tackle health at the wrong end of the line. All anyone needs do is look at the UK, the Scandinavian countries and some others to see that National Health services, whilst admirable in many respects, can never cap their spending. Populations ageing later, advances in medical science, new diagnostic instruments like the MRI scan requiring major capital investments, the discovery of new drugs and treatments that make patients live far longer than before - all ensure that budgets will continue to go up, up and away. The only effective way to reduce healthcare costs dramatically is to spend far more on health education, on diet and the way too many of us live our lives.

 

If the politicians on Capital Hill had just an ounce of Bloomberg's vision and guts, America would not be in a state of almost permanent debilitating and chronic gridlock.

[ChristianPFC]

(nested quote missing)

 

Very funny Christian.

 

What's funny about that sentence?

[kokopelli]

Your comment about the teeth lined up in a row; like soldiers on parade. Also ironic in that most Thai boys do not have the finances for orthodontic work even if the cost is reasonable in Thailand.

 

You post many funny things Christian; the miniature Eiffel tower key fobs; the back exit to the Hell Garden; your small penis; your stingy tips; picking up one bath coins; your underwear fetish, etc.

I am not sure if you are serious or jesting.

[Guest thaiworthy]

I understand what Koko is trying to say. You do have a very subtle sense of humor, Christian-- but much of it is to your credit. I remember the circumcision thread especially. I don't think you are even aware of it when it happens, and this may be due in part to a difference in cultures. Don't take offense, the humor is reciprocated. Do you remember what I said what the PFC in your moniker really means? All in good fun!

[Bob]

What's funny about that sentence?

 

I wouldn't say "funny" but, in American English, it's an odd way to phrase it. When somebody has screwed-up teeth, we usually say that they are "crooked" or "not straight." Never heard anybody refer to the problem as "teeth not in a row." Come to think of it, the Brits probably thought you meant that the teeth were not fighting....