But if you have visited our offices, you also know that we are friendly, funny, and interesting. Which also kind of describes dental myths – while they aren’t necessarily friendly, they are interesting and often funny.
Here are a few myths, ancient and modern, as well as a sprinkling of cool dental facts.
Myth – Hard boiled eggs help babies during teething. There’s a food-related myth concerning teething: the hard-boiled egg cure. If you have a teething baby, put a hard-boiled egg in the nursery. The baby’s pain will be largely alleviated.
There is an even stranger myth about an uncooked egg. According to this old wives tale, you place an egg in the baby’s used and unwashed sock. Then hang the sock in the bedroom or the closet near where the baby sleeps. Needless to say, neither trick works.
Myth – Toothworms cause toothaches. For millennia, it has been believed that toothaches were caused by worms – Something like toothworms that would bore into teeth just like teeth were apples. The pain of the toothache was dependent on what the toothworms were doing.
If they were writhing around inside the tooth you’d suffer pain; other times they would take naps and the pain would decrease. In medieval times, honey was considered to be part of a cure. People would cover the sore tooth with honey hoping that the airtight seal the honey created would force the worm out for air. This strange belief lasted until the early 1700s.
Modern Myth – Silver fillings don’t need replacement. In reality, old and worn down amalgam fillings can leak mercury, which been linked to a variety illnesses and disorders. Fillings can be damaged and broken down by hot drinks and foods, chewing gum, grinding your teeth, or just the attrition that comes with time. Then, mercury can leak.
Modern Myth – Pregnant women should expect to lose at least one tooth for each child they bear. This is a classic wives’ tale. Pregnant women do undergo hormonal changes that may effect the bacteria present in their mouths, which can lead to increase chances of gum disease. But if pregnant women maintain a good, effective oral routine, there’s no reason to lose any teeth to pregnancy or childbirth!
Modern Myth: Sugar rots your teeth. Everyone “knows” this one. In fact, it isn’t the volume of sugar consumed that leads to dental problems, it’s how long that sugar is exposed to teeth. This means hard candies and sugary drinks are particularly dangerous, but it’s the failure to rinse them out or brush them off that leads to tooth decay.
Modern Myth: No pain, no need for dental visits. No, no, no! By the time you feel pain in teeth or gums, your dental problem has likely advanced to a serious stage, which is announced by the pain. This is why it is so critical to schedule regular dental check-ups.
Different “Tooth Fairy” stories. We all know about the Tooth Fairy, but lost baby teeth are treated differently in different cultures. South African children put their lost teeth into a slipper, hoping that a mouse will come take the teeth and replace them with money or a gift.
Instead of waiting for a fairy or a mouse, El Salvadorean children put lost teeth under their pillow but wait for a rabbit, a creature with strong, long teeth, to come and take the lost tooth.
Alex Bratic Dental Care in Beenleigh delivers quality dental services to patients of all ages. If you, your child, or a family member needs a smile fix, or just a checkup, we’re here for you!
Alex Bratic Dental Care is located on City Road near the Pacific Motorway near Beenleigh Station, with convenient public transport nearby and free onsite parking.
FREE Invisalign consultation.
Call (07) 3287 2627 or visit us at 113 City Road in Beenleigh.