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Forks are for Eating: Dental Hygiene Across the Pond

From Austin Powers to The Simpsons, American pop culture has heckled the British for their allegedly bad teeth for years. Let's face it - even Prince Charles could use a good orthodontist. Now it looks like comedians will have fresh material, thanks to a national survey that polled Brits on their dental habits.

An overwhelming number of respondents admitted to cleaning their teeth with just about everything but floss, opting for everyday household tools instead. Nontraditional tooth picks included: screw drivers, earrings, forks, scissors and (wait for it) knives. (Maybe they should consider putting restrictions on the use of ice picks.) To top it off, about half reported they don't bother cleaning food out from between their teeth at all. Yikes! Needless to say the English dental community has admittedly fallen behind in dental education.

While it's easy to laugh at our friends across the pond, the truth is a number of Americans aren't doing much better when it comes to oral hygiene. Gum disease and tooth decay are two potentially serious conditions frequently overlooked by the American press. (Maybe they're too busy critiquing jolly England's smiles.) They are also linked to other health problems, including heart disease and low birth weight.

In order to maintain your own dental health, it's important to brush and floss everyday. If you find particularly tricky debris stuck between your teeth, skip using your PDA's stylus to dig it out. Your best option is a wood (and therefore flexible) tooth pick or dental ribbon, which is smoother than floss. Tying a small knot in it can help dislodge larger pieces of food.

So, the next time you hear somebody crack a joke at the queen's expense, consider your own flossing habits. And for Pete's sake, never use anything to clean your teeth and gums that wasn't designed for that purpose!

+Jim Du Molin is a leading Internet search expert helping individuals and families connect with the right dentist in their area. Visit his author page.

Scraping Your Way to a Healthier Mouth: The Benefits of Tongue Scraping

Want to reduce bad breath, gum problems and tooth decay? Grab a tongue scraper! While the practice of removing food and bacteria trapped between your taste buds has been recognized and recommended by dentists for half a century, true tongue scraping is a relatively new phenomenon. Perhaps its sharp increase in popularity is the result of recent studies touting about all the wonderful things that come from removing all that "gunk," including healthier teeth and gums and sweeter smelling breath.

Tongue scraping is an easy way to improve your oral hygiene. People with bad breath, particularly smokers or those with a taste for pungent food, will notice an improvement. Also, those who suffer from a fungal condition called "Brown Hairy Tongue" will benefit tremendously from a good tongue cleaning. For those with sweet smelling, fungus-free mouths, know that tongue scraping will reduce the bacteria that leads to gum disease and tooth decay. In other words, just about anybody will be better off for the effort. So, how does it work?

A bit of research will tell you that there are dozens of tongue scraping appliances on the market today. One of the most popular and inexpensive types is a soft, flexible plastic strip that you bow and pull along your tongue. It's an incredibly simple design with the potential for amazing results. Two or three strokes are usually sufficient. Please note, scraping should be done before brushing your teeth. It's quick and easy; the most difficult part of the entire process is actually seeing what's been in your mouth.

If you're not interested in actually buying a tongue scraper, a toothbrush will work fairly well. Though they aren't nearly as effective in removing debris and bacteria from your mouth as tools made for the job, it's far better than doing nothing at all. If you'd like to learn more about tongue scraping, or would like help finding the right dental hygiene method for you, contact your dentist's office, or mention it during your next check-up!

+Jim Du Molin is a leading Internet search expert helping individuals and families connect with the right dentist in their area. Visit his author page.