Good Teeth - Pure Genetics

M.D. Holloway · 04-23-2007, 10:06 PM

Had my teeth cleaned the other day. The hygenist didn't find any plaque and was surpirsed that I had no fillings.

"I have never had a cavity". I told her. Our Son is trending the same. He has the same teeth as I do right down to the crooked incisor. My Dad never had a cavity either. Our 4yr old has teeth like momma - Very white, very straight and soft as a donut. My Wife has a mouth full of fillings and our lil one has signs of decay as well. She brushes well twice a day. I don't think it will matter much unfortunitly...

Taking care of your chompers are important but I think that there are some folks that no matter what they do it will still not be enough. Its all about genetics.

livi · 04-24-2007, 02:15 AM

Same here. Very much genetics. My grandfather who live to 96 never had a single cavity. Nor have I or any of my kids.

And I am honestly not that obsessive with brushing either...

AFJuvat · 04-24-2007, 03:30 AM

I'm on the other side of the coin. On myside of te family, we tend to have bad teeth. Dentist described it as "thin enamel"

With daily brushing, I had 15 cavities by the time I was 6.

I'm sure there are dentures in my future.

TerryBPP · 04-24-2007, 03:57 AM

My teeth are virtually perfect with no work done. My mom's are the same way. People always ask me if I ever had braces. Thank god I never did.

speeder · speeder's Garage

Anyone who came from the factory with perfect, cavity-proof teeth is a lucky person indeed. And that's nothing but the luck-of-the-draw, like all genetics.

David · David's Garage

My wife has much better oral hygiene than I do, but I bet she has full dentures by 50 or 60. Genetics are a b!tch.

The Gaijin · 04-24-2007, 06:20 AM

teeth and gums are two different things. dont count your chickens just yet..

89911 · 04-24-2007, 06:41 AM

It's funny the number of people that justify their terrible teeth by shrugging it off to having "soft teeth or genetics". Generally their teeth are "soft" due to the accumulation of plaque that never gets removed by their once a day, 30 second brushing. Sure, there are certain situtions which are unavoidable, but these are rare. I find all types in my practice, (I've got about 4000 active patients). I'll have patients that haven't come in for 10 years and have nothing wrong. Usually because they 1. eat healty 2. take "reasonably good" car of their teeth 3. have escaped the childhood and teen years with relatively few restorations. These are the exception to the norm. Beyond that, theres more then enough work for me. And stay away from any soft drinks. In my opinion, they are the single worst contributer to decay and will turn even the hardest teeth into a fuzzy soft mess over time.

JavaBrewer · JavaBrewer's Garage

My wife has good teeth and at 40 has maybe 5 fillings total. My kids are like me and have terrible teeth. Son is 10 and has 5 fillings and my Daughter whose 7 has 3 fillings. They brush 2x daily and don't eat candy and no soda pop at home. I've had more fillings and repairs (3 broken teeth) than I can count. Recently had all my alloy fillings replaced with ceramic. That took 3 separate visits.

vash · vash's Garage

floss.

M.D. Holloway · 04-24-2007, 08:14 AM

Its all due to bacteria and virus' I am sure the same can be said for mental illness as well...

RickM · RickM's Garage

Quote:

Originally posted by LubeMaster77
Its all due to bacteria and virus' I am sure the same can be said for mental illness as well...

Actually true for good teeth. AFAIK, certain good bacteria in saliva prevents tooth decay. I believe a vaccine has been tested and is close to release for this very reason.

M.D. Holloway · 04-24-2007, 08:37 AM

I truely believe that certian forms of mental illness are caused by any number virus.

72doug2,2S · 72doug2,2S's Garage

What? No soft drinks, what about beer, wine and scotch?

tabs · 04-24-2007, 08:55 AM

I had 7 Fillings done with Silver when I was 15. Two were due to Cavitys and the rest as prevention , because the DDS said I had soft enamel. Those are the only teeth that I have had any problem with. I still have one of the Fillings and it is nearly 40 years old. One is a Composite, 3 Root Canals, One tooth broke while biting on an olive with a pit, resulting in its loss and one cap. All those orginal Fillings lasted a minimum of 28 years without problem.

There was one stretch that I didn't go to the DDS for 20 years.

speeder · speeder's Garage

Quote:

Originally posted by 89911
And stay away from any soft drinks. In my opinion, they are the single worst contributer to decay and will turn even the hardest teeth into a fuzzy soft mess over time.

I've heard this before and don't doubt it, but how did you arrive at this conclusion? Did you interview a large number of patients as to their soft drink intake and compare to # of dental carries? I'm curious what the scientific method is on this one; soaking teeth in Coke in a lab would not even closely approximate the quick passage of soda pop past your teeth when you drink it, followed by a constant saliva bath.

Rot 911 · 04-24-2007, 10:31 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by 89911
And stay away from any soft drinks. In my opinion, they are the single worst contributer to decay and will turn even the hardest teeth into a fuzzy soft mess over time.

Again, this must depend on genetics. I have been drinking 4-6 diet cokes a day for the last 15 years and still have no dental problems. On the other hand my wife who flosses and brushes twice daily is always having to go to the dentist.

Rick Lee · Rick Lee's Garage

I've been blessed with Mom's good teeth too. Although I had about 10 cavities by the time I was 10, I've had none since and none of those original fillings have come out either. I was at the dentist last week and she commented on how I obviously don't drink much soda. I have maybe 3-4 cans per week at most.

the · 04-24-2007, 01:32 PM

Is "soft enamel" like "big boned?"

89911 · 04-24-2007, 01:43 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by speeder
I've heard this before and don't doubt it, but how did you arrive at this conclusion? Did you interview a large number of patients as to their soft drink intake and compare to # of dental carries? I'm curious what the scientific method is on this one; soaking teeth in Coke in a lab would not even closely approximate the quick passage of soda pop past your teeth when you drink it, followed by a constant saliva bath.

It's as scientific as asking the patient that has a mouth full of decay how he thinks he got that way. You would be amazed at the number of people that don't even drink water and polish off a 2 liter of Pepsi every day at work. A soft drink now and then won't hurt you, but there are many that this is ALL they drink. Cola's are the perfect food for bacteria. Nice high sugar content that flows into every crevice. Acidic nature of the cola helps to directly demineralize enamal. I'm sure you have read how "sports drinks" are terrible also.