I'm not sure how much of modern dentistry is helpful and how much is
harmful. There has not been a lot of clinical studies on this, but
dentists do things because that is what they are trained to do and have
always done.

Cleanings probably help people who get a lot of plaque build-up.
Fillngs probably help too because witthout them teeth will tend to
disintegrate and be lost.

Most questionable is how gums are treated. Boomers are questioning why
their dentist or periodontist wants to cut their gums. They already have
found that root planing wasn't needed or desirable.

--Richard



Lynda Bryson wrote:

> << Cavity-free mouths likely have more to do with
> genetics or one other theory I heard from a French
> dentist was that it has something to do with one's
> saliva.  Who knows... >>
>
>
> My mother in law, who's 83, has all of her teeth and
> has never had a cavity.  She didn't start going to a
> dentist until she was an adult, as her family didn't
> have the money for such "extras."  She grew up on a
> farm where they grew a lot of the food they ate, and
> has always kept a garden where she's grown her
> favorite veggies.  While never much of a consumer of
> junk/fast foods, she hasn't deliberately avoided them
> either.  Overall she's in remarkable health for her
> age, probably due to genetics -- her father lived well
> into his 90s and both of her sisters are in their 80s
> as well.
>
>
>
> Lynda Bryson
> [log in to unmask]
>
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