Sunday, September 17, 2017

HURRICANES -- CHAOS -- REDHEAD'S DENTITION


HURRICANES ON MY RADAR

Hurricanes have never really been on my radar much, but they have certainly made their presence known in recent years.    My familiarity had been pretty much limited to news reports.

My only and closest hurricane encounter was in the late 1950’s when I had occasion to be in Miami -- staying overnight in a motel near the airport awaiting a next day’s flight to Ecuador.    Early evening I recall leaving my room for dinner at the restaurant, then for nearby clothing store shopping.  When I stepped out of my room, I was confronted with an oppressive wall of humid heat unlike anything I’d ever experienced before.  Thinking this was just more of the dense hot humid weather I associated with Florida, I gave little more thought to the matter. 

Even more of the intense heavy moist air greeting me the next morning gave me reason to be glad we were flying out.   Only on my arrival at my destination did I learn a hurricane had assaulted Miami the day after I left causing me to be glad I wasn’t there.  

Now I see as the most recent Harvey and Irma hurricanes have wrought their damage that we have three more raging in the Atlantic ocean: Maria possibly threatening to follow Irma’s path – Jose, though offshore, is spinning with potential impacts further up the U.S. east coast – Tropical Storm Lee is expected to spin itself out with no land warnings issued presently.

Storm language has its own terminology:  systems over the Atlantic or the eastern Pacific Oceans are named “hurricanes”.    Western North Pacific and Philippines systems are called “typhoons”.  Indian and South Pacific Ocean systems are called “cyclones”.   Strong destructive winds and flooding rains whatever we call them.


HURRICANES AREN’T ALL THAT CREATE CHAOS

Hurricanes in the U.S. are apropos for the chaotic world our leader and his cohort, Mr. Bannon have been dedicated to creating in their efforts for “deconstruction of the administrative state” with “a new political order being formed.”   Continued orchestrated chaos is the order of the day.

Thinking citizens might want to closely examine what that language really means -- not just what some want to believe -- or they may awaken one morning to learn they got more than they expected and not what they wanted at all – but could be too late to preserve the constitutional democratic republic our forefathers created and some of my ancestors fought to establish.   
  
Is the Washington swamp that was to be cleaned out by this Administration increasingly appearing to have been replaced by a cesspool?


REDHEAD REVELATIONS

Redheads, or “Gingers” as we’re known in some other countries, have a number of distinct features from those with different hair color.    Recently my attention has had to be focused on my teeth.   A root canal, followed by a crown that came without a kingdom, then my routine cleaning has meant I have had to focus on the condition of those chompers. 

I was reminded of what had periodically crossed my mind much of my adult life.  Toothpaste commercials, dental caps, implants all touted the bright white teeth they offered.   I often wondered why I didn’t seem to have those eye-blinding “pearly white” teeth so highly desired.   I had carefully brushed my teeth as recommended.  

If I ever mentioned the topic to a dentist, I basically was told just that tooth coloring varied for individuals which seemed sufficient and acceptable to me. This time when I thought about it, I spontaneously decided to see what might be said on the Internet which seems to have an answer for everything.  This is what I learned. 

One site states there is a scientific reason for why a redhead’s teeth can have a slightly yellowish cast that’s attributed to “a Dental Hygenist” on Yahoo Answers.  

The scientific reason given is:

“Embryonically, there are 3 germ layers: ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm.  The tooth enamel (the outermost part) and the skin both derive from the ectoderm.

….redheads usually have a very fair, translucent skin…in general, their skin is thinner than that of people with other hair colors…having been derived from the ectoderm, their tooth enamel is thinner, as well

…the effect you see, due to the thinner enamel, is more of the underlying tooth surface (dentin) showing through the enamel…dentin is normally a yellowish or grayish color. 

 As a result, the redhead’s teeth will appear to be less white, because more dentin is apparent.”

There is a web site for a purported dentist promoting teeth whitening that says hair color has nothing to do with tooth color.  Yellow teeth indicate lack of proper dental care.  Well, I know my teeth have had and still do have appropriate care.

I don’t know if the purported scientific explanation is reliable and authentic or not as I couldn’t locate a credible science link.    I’ll ask my dentist when I see him next year – if I remember.


26 comments:

  1. I always wondered what the difference is between hurricanes, typhoons and cyclones. Now I know. And, yes, the destruction #45 is doing to the office of the presidency is as damaging as a hurricane. He seems to purposely create drama every couple of days just to keep his name in the media.

    Teeth whiteness and hair color is something I never would have connected. I used to have very white teeth when I was younger and had dark hair. Now that I have gray hair my teeth aren't as white but I always thought that was in part because there was less contrast around my face with the changing hair color.

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    1. Chaos Theory may be what is being applied in the effort to shake up our system -- which has been needed given Congressional gridlock -- but the results of this can be unpredictable and, for me, I don't trust this President who gives all indications of a desire to be an authoritarian, even a dictator ala Putin, Turkey's leader, others.

      Maybe in your case since you had dark hair that any perceived change in teeth whiteness is simply the contrast since your hair has grayed. I do see a number of Google search links explaining that our tooth color can change as we age due to a variety of reasons including enamel can become thinner from wear and tear.

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  2. Good post! I can only hope we are done with hurricanes for this year, but it sounds like we may not be. The two we already had this year should be enough.
    Think you are right about Capitol Hill!
    Interesting about the redheads and their teeth. I would have to go along with science.

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    1. Assuming the dental assistant's quote is accurate -- since I couldn't find a source for it -- I would agree. I do see several sources in Google search discussing teeth color change with aging.

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  3. Well I just learned something about white teeth that I never thought about!! Who knew? I have been through a number of hurricanes, and have no desire to ride those waves again.

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    1. I can well imagine you wouldn't care to experience first hand any more hurricanes.

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  4. Lucky you to miss the storm and had a safe flight. I have been through a ton of hurricanes and they can be darn scary. The sound they make is like no other I have heard and it lasts for hours.
    My grandmother was a red head and while I didn't get any of the other genes, perhaps the tooth color made it through. Interesting.

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    1. Glad you survived the hurricanes. Can only imagine what the sound they make would be like, especially since they can last so long -- much worse than that of a tornado which my Aunt experienced and said it sounded like a freight train coming through their house but it only twisted their garage door and didn't last long.

      If you've noticed tooth color difference, but not til later in your life, maybe its simply age-related.

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  5. I've recently had a little chat with my dentist about this, and I learned two things. One is that age-related thinning enamel does bring a color change. That's why commercial tooth whiteners don't work. They're meant to whiten enamel that isn't there.

    The other thing I learned is that hydration is critical for tooth health, too. I've always thought of teeth as "just there," but in fact they're alive, and require hydration just as much as our muscles and other organs. If we don't stay hydrated, it can lead to problems like breakage -- often on a side of a tooth. Very interesting.

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    1. Oh, that's interesting -- thanks for sharing. I haven't noticed any change in my teetth coloring which I could attribute to aging as they've never been blindingly white. But your dentist indicating thinning enamel allows for a color change could suggest the redhead explanation makes sense.

      That's good to know, or be reminded of, about the importance of hydration for tooth health. I knew the importance of having a moist mouth -- that some of my patients with swallowing problems had dry mouth issues as a consequence of certain medications they had to take which added complications to their eating for which they had further medical treatment.

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  6. The crowns come with no Kingdom, yet they cost as much as the Queen's jewels!!!

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    1. That's for sure, Judy, and the root canals aren't cheap either!

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  7. My first brush with a hurricane was in 1976 when we lived in Connecticut - as memory serves, by the time it reached us it was Cat 1 or a tropical storm as we lived in Rocky Hill - up near Hartford - and it wss essentially was blowing itself out. That was not a big deal but the tornadoes we went through in Texas were an entirely different story. Frankly I'll take the old NorCal earthquakes any old day.

    Now if my teeth were the same color as my hair I'd be a happy camper but alas too much coffee has surrounded them over the years.

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    1. I agree, so far, re the earthquakes vs hurricanes and tornados, but then I've not experienced any true damage from an earthquake. Hope I never do. I've drunk lots of coffee, too, and even cranberry juice,my dental assistant said, had some effect on my teeth prior to one cleaning.

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  8. I'm not a redhead, but my teeth have always been slightly yellowish, even though I take great care of them. I didn't realise it's just the result of thin enamel. Fortunately I still have all my teeth, and only one root canal filling. I sometimes read speculation about substances that could be painted onto teeth to prevent decay, but nothing ever comes from it. Well, all the dentists would be out of a job, wouldn't they?

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    1. Maybe they'll come up with something to prevent decay someday.

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  9. Interesting point about whiteners, re: whitening enamel that isn't even there.

    Some meds--like my migraine preventer--are terribly dehydrating. One doesn't think that far down the chain of events to imagine the full import of that particular side effect.

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    1. A couple years ago I decided to undergo a whitening experience. Ithe end result was disappointing as I couldn't see any change in my tooth color. Now, if this, info is accurate, I can understand why. Dental Asst. then didn't mention anything about thinning enamel issues. Will definitely talk with my dentist about it in the future. They seem to have a number of dental items they sell which dentist never did until recent years -- water pics, various little brushes where don't use floss, but then they often give a sample of some with each cleaning.

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  10. When I (another redhead) was 18 and having wisdom teeth removed, the dentist commented that I was lucky - that women wore lipstick which made teeth look whiter. He further stated that it was fortunate that I wasn't an actress or performer who was judged on her appearance. (He knew that I was a physics major - by then, a sophomore in college.)

    Thanks for the interesting theory.
    Cop Car

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    1. Yes, it is interesting to ponder isn't it.

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  11. At my age (84) I'm just glad to have almost all of my original teeth ... not too pretty but they do the job.

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    1. Good for you, Ginnie. I'm just trying to keep as many of my original teeth as I can. I have a couple wisdom teeth, though when I was young one dentist wanted to remove them which I refused. Another earlier dentist said those same wisdom teeth might well be among the best I'd have in the future.

      I do have a couple artificial teeth -- the first was extracted when I was barely a teen by a dentist -- probably unnecessarily -- in a scene straight out of a horror movie. Years later, long after we'd moved, we learned that he had pulled lots of teeth inappropriately and had to be institutionalized. Despite this, my positive experiences with my same caring dentist beginning in my early childhood before numbing was provided for fillings, I've retained good feelings and experiences with all the dentists I've had since, so dont fear them.

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  12. I'm just happy to have choppers that work and don't look too bad.

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    1. That's pretty much how I think now, too -- just want to keep them cavity free and working.

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    1. This blog's policy does not accept comments linked to a commercial blog site.

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