Dear Haruna,
you picked a very important topic. Thank you for that.

Unhealthy teath can cause severe damage to ones health, besides the pain and 
the uglyness. It may seriously affect the  general health by infecting the 
gum and germs entering into the blod circulation. Lack of teeth resulting in 
disability of proper chewing also affect peoples ability of accessing 
healthy nutrition.

However because of the cost, people in The Gambia often shy away from 
treatment except pulling of the tooth,  if it is too painful. In adition, 
most people might not be aware of the possiblities repairing 
teath.Traditional chewing sticks bear the risk of little wood peaces being 
stuck in holes and spaces which would start to rot there and thus rather add 
to the problem than solve it.

I wondered many times, why people do not take action, but leave even their 
front teath to rot.
In addition I found many youth not being trained of regularly brushing their 
teath. Inststead they will enjoy sugary foods or drinks (Attaya) before 
going to bed, without brushing the teeth.

Would a sensitisation campain be useful? I remember we had a lot of it when 
I was a child at primary school in Germany. I think the image of the "little 
tooth monsters" hammering to destroy my teath still sticks in my head and 
makes me to be mindful.

Best regards
Angelika


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Haruna Darbo" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wednesday, June 25, 2008 11:39 PM
Subject: Your Dental Health: Conversations with Haruna.


> Generally, the health of our teeth depend to a large extent on our diet 
> and
> to a lesser but equally significant extent on genetics and regular
> maintenance.  The indigenous African diet consists of un-processed food 
> and a significant
> amount of roughage. This makes for strong gums and teeth if unsculpted. 
> The
> cosmetics is not of as much interest to me as dental health. Sorry 
> veneers,
> caps, etc. are not my thing. But mind you I have beautiful teeth. Just so 
> you
> single ladies know.
>
> Anyways the food of the new Africans and transplanted Africans consists of 
> a
> lot of processed foods, sugars, and not much roughage. This presents
> favourable conditions for bacterial growth between our teeth and gums and 
> in  that
> ever so small pad on top of our molars especially the lower wisdom teeth. 
> If we
> do not maintain regular cleaning routines, bacteria and plaque can
> accumulate in these breeding grounds.
>
> We generally do not worry about our teeth until they develop an abcess or
> have a hole in them. By the way, most dentists have done away with metal
> fillings for composites or ceramics. So if you have a hole in your tooth 
> and the
> dentist wishes to insert metal fillings in there, he very well could be 
> from
> Gujarat. You are advised to seek dental work elsewhere.
>
> Unsightly stains can come from cocoa (coffee), kolanuts, or nicotine among
> others. You must understand though that you do not schedule tooth cleaning
> because of these stains. Crest white strips or iWhite kit from Remedent
> (belgium) is adequate.
>
> For stains, plaque, and other bacteria, use a spoonful of hydrogen 
> peroxide,
> mouthwash (listerine), and antibacterial soap in a cup of  water and brush
> twice daily - once before going to sleep and once when you  wake up. NOT 
> FOR
> KIDS PLEASE. Some dentists suggest a water pick but at  $40.00 a pop, this 
> may be
> out of the reach of many. The idea behind a water pick  is to apply the
> elixir described above with a comfortable pressure pick  between the 
> gumline and
> the teeth. The sensation is exhilarating but brushing  will yield similar
> results.
>
> I have come across another landscaping project that I'm sure you will
> appreciate. I will share that under separate cover.
>
> Thank you one and all and happy chewing!
> Masoud. MQJGDT. Al mutawakkil. No Sebutoo and no baking soda.  Please.
>
>
>
> **************Gas prices getting you down? Search AOL Autos for
> fuel-efficient used cars. 
> (http://autos.aol.com/used?ncid=aolaut00050000000007)
>
> ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
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