Keep 20 teeth till your 80
This slightly broken English in the post title is the catchphrase of not just Osaka’s, but a national promotion to persuade people to view looking after their teeth as a lifelong commitment. I’ve covered teeth in a number of other posts, but the statistical fact I learnt yesterday on a train covered in posters for said campaign was that current 80 year olds (in Osaka only? in the whole of Japan?) only have on average around four teeth left.
The reasons for this poor record are not just as revealed in the earlier surveys, a lack of regular care and maintentance by a professional, but also a large number of dentists who would often rather just yank a tooth instead of repairing it. There’s also more than a fair share of incompetent dentists, of course, but fortunately mine doesn’t fall into either category.
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James said,
October 7, 2006 @ 23:28
I’ve heard of dentists who instruct children not to use toothpaste when they brush their teeth. I don’t know if it’s true, but it would certainly explain the visibly rotting teeth I see in the mouths of elementary school kids I teach.
Ken Y-N said,
October 9, 2006 @ 00:07
Never heard that one before! What is the logic in that?
I don’t see enough schoolkids to notice one way or the other, myself.