Dental Patient
Sep. 16th, 2008 09:51 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
penfield"We do have a zeal for laughter in most situations, give or take a dentist."
- Joseph Heller
Another semi-annual dental appointment went well this morning. It's a little weird to think that this is just my 50th lifetime dental appointment or so; it seems like so many more than that.
And in that time, the dental profession has enjoyed a number of technological and practicological advances: sophisticated x-rays, periodontal treatments and a veritable cornucopia of flavored toothpastes and polishes.
But the fact is that dentistry remains the most barbaric of the medical sciences. Sit in the dentist's chair and look at the tray of instruments alongside you: the collection of antique metal sticks warped into sharp metal points. The hygienist will violently scrape your precious teeth with these weapons and saw between them with a thin wire, and then note, with the hint of disdain, that your gums are bleeding.
I feel like we must be close to some sort of dental breakthrough that will eliminate this sadistic ritual -- some kind of rinse, solution, gel, paste, foam, abrasion or other treatment -- that will obsolete the pointy metal stick as the tool of choice.
I don't have any particularly good ideas for dental technology, but I think I have a pretty good money-making opportunity for those in the oral hygiene business.
It's based on the unscientific premise that no two toothbrushes brush your teeth exactly the same way. I don't know that it's true, but it seems true. I mean, the brush heads come in all different shapes, sizes and consistencies. They must each address and ignore specific nooks and crannies of the mouth.
Since no two toothbrushes brush the same, and we use the same toothbrush for weeks and sometimes months at a time, it means that we are habitually addressing and ignoring those specific nooks and crannies for weeks and months at a time.
So, as a toothbrush manufacturer, all you have to do is carry this premise forward to its logical conclusion: every person should be using a variety of toothbrushes with a variety of brush heads for their daily toothbrushing needs. That way, no tooth is left unbrushed.
Now, whether it's more profitable to sell special packages of toothbrushes or an electric toothbrushing system with removable brush heads is up to the dental-industrial complex. I'm just an idea man.
But I personally brush with three different brushes. And two of those three toothbrushes agree: my teeth have never been healthier.
- Joseph Heller
Another semi-annual dental appointment went well this morning. It's a little weird to think that this is just my 50th lifetime dental appointment or so; it seems like so many more than that.
And in that time, the dental profession has enjoyed a number of technological and practicological advances: sophisticated x-rays, periodontal treatments and a veritable cornucopia of flavored toothpastes and polishes.
But the fact is that dentistry remains the most barbaric of the medical sciences. Sit in the dentist's chair and look at the tray of instruments alongside you: the collection of antique metal sticks warped into sharp metal points. The hygienist will violently scrape your precious teeth with these weapons and saw between them with a thin wire, and then note, with the hint of disdain, that your gums are bleeding.
I feel like we must be close to some sort of dental breakthrough that will eliminate this sadistic ritual -- some kind of rinse, solution, gel, paste, foam, abrasion or other treatment -- that will obsolete the pointy metal stick as the tool of choice.
I don't have any particularly good ideas for dental technology, but I think I have a pretty good money-making opportunity for those in the oral hygiene business.
It's based on the unscientific premise that no two toothbrushes brush your teeth exactly the same way. I don't know that it's true, but it seems true. I mean, the brush heads come in all different shapes, sizes and consistencies. They must each address and ignore specific nooks and crannies of the mouth.
Since no two toothbrushes brush the same, and we use the same toothbrush for weeks and sometimes months at a time, it means that we are habitually addressing and ignoring those specific nooks and crannies for weeks and months at a time.
So, as a toothbrush manufacturer, all you have to do is carry this premise forward to its logical conclusion: every person should be using a variety of toothbrushes with a variety of brush heads for their daily toothbrushing needs. That way, no tooth is left unbrushed.
Now, whether it's more profitable to sell special packages of toothbrushes or an electric toothbrushing system with removable brush heads is up to the dental-industrial complex. I'm just an idea man.
But I personally brush with three different brushes. And two of those three toothbrushes agree: my teeth have never been healthier.
