cavities

Ever been to a talkative dentist? We see a husband and wife team, both of who are lively, sweet, and highly interested in discussing nutrition as my teeth are being cleaned and sometimes even during a filling. It’s the most awkward thing, because I want to answer thoughtfully but my mouth is dry and my tongue is off to the side and sometimes numb from local anesthesia. I’d really rather not say anything, but she asks me questions and I really do want to answer. They’re vitamin junkies. They take everything: fish oil, vitamin D, probiotics, elderberry. Like everyone, they’re not sure if they’re doing the right thing. Her main concern is that her kids aren’t getting what they need. I tell her, if they’re growing and they eat a good amount of bread and milk and other basics, they’re probably fine. Everything is fortified. One thing I’ve learned through studying toxicology, is that too much of a good thing (vitamins) can be just as poisonous as having too little.    

I have horrible teeth that tell the history of the horrible junk food I ate as a child. My mother made wonderful dinners, but there were a lot of eating opportunities until that late hour. For breakfast it was coco pebbles cereal, the chocolate ones that turned the milk into dark corn syrup soup that I slurped every drop of. My packed school lunches were Michael Pollan’s worst nightmare: bright white wonder bread with limp bologna, the neon orange colored cheese slices that came wrapped in individual plastic, a variety of chips (Fritos, Doritos, Ruffles), a variety of Hostess treats (Twinkies, Susie-Qs, ding-dongs -the worst name of any dessert BTW). My mom wanted to make me feel American, so she bought the most popular, most advertised foods. The folly of following the masses! Afterschool I was always with my friends and we hoarded candy from the ice-cream man. My pockets were heavy with Now N’Laters taffy, Bubbalicious Bubble Gum, Nerds, Gobstoppers, Jolly Ranchers. Death to teeth.

For dinners, mom had a rotating menu, including much American fare: spaghetti and meatballs, meatloaf with a side of english peas, steak with chocolate brown 57 sauce and grilled potatoes, creamy chicken potpie with chunks of carrots, celery and bright yellow corn. My sister and I remember the flavor to her cooking, somehow everything had a little more kick to it. We celebrated Thanksgiving with Turkey and mashed potatoes, but then of course a side of Kim chi. My parents were really modern and willing to assimilate and adapt as needed. My mom especially, was quite open to new experiences and free-spirited. This wasn’t true of many of my other relatives.

We never went to the doctor or dentist for annual checkups growing up. Other than not having insurance, there was a deep-seated belief that you go to the doctor and he will kill you, or make you more sick. It’s like the Chinese of yore who hid their cash under the mattress. Old beliefs die hard.

Luckily my uncle was a dentist, so I saw him a few times for fillings. I had 12 cavities, 4 pulled out, so now left with 8, 4 which are capped with porcelain and the others with fillings that are all cracking at their edges. It’s a lot of upkeep to be aware of them each individually, timing the appointments. It’s like changing the batteries in the fire alarms in the house (they never just all go out at the same time. It’s always just one, and you have to listen to the beep carefully, hunting down the source).

         I love micro and now I know it’s the streptococcus mutans in the mouth that create the cavities by eating the sugar stuck on your teeth. It’s also the acid from foods that foster a favorable environment for those bacteria to thrive. That’s why soda is the worst combo and why I won’t serve it at parties, even the kid ones.

         Today on NPR, I heard a horrible story about how Americans only make up 6% of the world but we use the most energy also b/c we’re obese. The obesity makes us the equivalent of an extra billion people in energy use (gas on the plane, more food and the cost of energy to produce that food). I cringe at kid parties, because everyone serves the same crap I ate growing up. It has changed, but not enough and not in the kid realm. I really have such great ideas for food products, and it’s something I feel strongly about, but I have to remind myself to rest for a while. Everything in time.