Thursday, July 7, 2016

A Toothy Grin

Have embarked on a short story based on a remark in idle conversation with "Raffish."  The main character wears dentures and I wondered how it came to that in his mouth.  So, onward to Google where I discovered the following reasons for total tooth removal.

Obviously, never brushing your teeth and a poor diet are primary causes.  Nothing can flourish if it isn't treated right.

To my surprise:  not that  tooth enamel is the strongest substance in the body, I'd heard that before, but that contrary to it's looks - smooth, glossy; under a microscope one would see tiny little pebbles and holes, in other words a rough surface.  However tiny.

Foods that are said to stain teeth are:

Tomato sauce as in spaghetti and pizza.  Tomatoes are acidic and the literature suggests eating broccoli or a small salad before digging in to the good stuff.

Curry - the deep yellow color likes your toofies!

Balsamic vinegar with its deep rich color will linger,  too.

Berries - as in blue, cran, rasp and black will stain.

Drinks - coffee, tea (even so-called white tea,) sodas and sports drinks all can wreak havoc.

Personally, I think you'd have to live on a diet solely comprised of all of the above for several years to stain your teeth, but what do I know?

Am still mulling over how to have my character lose all of his teeth at once and am considering a car wreck that damages his mouth and that while it heals, he lives on most of the above.  My next problem is whether or not to give him the total tooth extraction that I read about - 32 teeth in 15 minutes.  There's some dialogue and plot possibilities there ...

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