Archives

6. In 1945, Grand Rapids, Michigan, became the first community in the world to put flouride into its water system.  Today, two-thirds of U.S. citizens get flourinated water.

7. The next stage in fighting tooth decay? Jeffrey Hillman, professor emeritus of oral biology at the University of Florida, has begun human trials of a genetically engineered version of the oral bacterium Streptococcus mutans, which he modified to produce less acid.

8. This strain also creates an antibiotic that kills other S. mutans strains, allowing it to take over inside the mouth.

9. A study be researchers and Yale and New York University has confirmed a bit of folk wisdom: The more children a woman has, the more likely she is to have missing teeth.

10. Possible explanation: Pregnant women tend to develop gingivitis (inflammation of the gums) as hormonal shifts make the tissues more sensitive to irritation.

Source: DISCOVER Magazine

1. Watch what you bite: Enamel the sturdiest substance in the body, is harder than a copper bullet but slightly less hard than a stainless-steel fork.

2. Enamel also develops tiny cracks that diffuse the stress of chewing and help prevent breaks. Aerospace engineers are studying this feature with an eye toward creating stronger spacecraft.

3. Yet your teeth cannot always stand up to your mouth’s bacteria, which produce acids that leach calcium and phosphate from enamel – the process leads to cavities.

4. Nothing personal: Those acids are an accidental by-product created when the bacteria digest sugars in the food you’ve eaten. (before the invention of refined sugar cavities were rare)

5. Flouride counters tooth decay by preventing the loss of minerals from enamel and promoting the readsorption of calcium and phosphate from saliva into the enamel.

Source: DISCOVER Magazine