Ignore your teeth and they will go away
OR
Active Maintenance
One would have to say that it is amazing that teeth last as long as they do when we chew on them every day for maybe 90 years and considering some of the stuff people eat – chocolate out of the fridge or pork crackling for instance. Then if our teeth have been filled they are weaker but we just keep on chewing. Some of us even grind or clench our teeth with forces unheard of in ordinary chewing. It isn’t surprising they break – is it?
Teeth crack, cavities start around old failing fillings, tartar builds up, gums recede and teeth start to come loose. All that is preventable but ignore your teeth and they will go away. Just because a tooth doesn’t hurt doesn’t mean it will stay like that. A sore tooth is more costly to fix if it can be fixed at all. Our mouths are like gardens; they need weeding and pruning to stay in shape, or like the floor under our beds; it needs regular vacuuming and mopping.
That is why seeing the dentist/hygienist once every 6-12 months is a good idea. It is like weeding and mopping. We call that “active maintenance” because it doesn’t happen by itself. Effort is needed. Having said all that, you don’t need to floss every single tooth – only the ones you want to keep.
