About a month ago I went to the dentist after an absence of 4 years. It was the result of an achy wisdom tooth which had (as the result of grinding) lost a small part of it's left side and also the filling which had been placed there years ago. I was really not looking forward to this visit, not just because of what I perceived to be the pain that would result, but more importantly because I was picturing the way the hygienist would go spazo (which they sometimes do) when I opened my mouth to show her the problem after a long absence and no cleanings since 2002. Well she said nothing at first and the dentist himself told me my teeth were in much better shape than I had thought (and vocalized). The wisdom tooth had to go, there wasn't enough left (after grinding) to fill it and after all it was only a wisdom tooth. So I made an appointment with an oral surgeon and they removed it a week later, no pain, no discomfort, no "dry socket" aftermath, it was a breeze.

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Continuing onward to my first cleaning, which took place the following week. Ok this is really where I was going to "get it" by the hygienist when she had to clean off 4 years worth of plaque, buildup etc. Imagine my surprise when she said

Hygienist: "You know for someone who hasn't been here in 4 years you have virtually no plaque on your teeth, apart from the mild staining from smoking and coffee/tea your teeth are in great shape and so are your gums"

Me: Really?

Hygienist: "And also, something very interesting has occurred I want to take some photographs of"

Me: What??

Hygienist: "Well you have at least two places where a cavity had started to form and naturally so did the de-calcification of the tooth." (that means it started to turn dark in a spot, we all know what cavities look like) But you see something changed in either your diet or dental hygiene (I have always been an avid brusher and flosser so this was news to me) which has caused the cavity to cease development and actually the surface became hard and strong again healthy in every way except for a small discoloration where the cavity had begun to form. You reversed the process somehow. "

So I was shocked, and for the life of me couldn't figure out what in the hell I have done differently in the past 4 years (because these spots didn't exist back then). I was at a loss and afterward didn't think much of it. That is until yesterday..and then I remembered, about two years ago I gave up regular soda (which I have always drank heaps of in the past) for Diet. I even went online to verify this could be a factor and in fact was pleasantly surprised to find out there is a direct relationship between the two. The dentists were right! I was raised in a home where Coca Cola (my step-dad had false teeth by 30) was always available and I grew up drinking it regularly. Naturally I always detested the taste of Diet Soda, I don't care what they do with it, throw in Lime or Vanilla Flavor, introduce artificial sweeteners like Nutra-Sweet or the newcomer Splenda, it never ever tasted the same or even close. I do not believe those people who tell me they can't tell the difference, that is just ridiculous. I still to this day do not enjoy Diet soda so much, but as I do like soda when I eat certain things (like really hot food) this is always my choice now. As a result I drink much less in general (1 every other day or so compared to 2-3 a day) and in the end my body thanks me for that.

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So anyway, about 2 years ago (spurred on by my Aunt who told me in passing that X Amount of glasses of Coke causes you to gain X amount of pounds or something) I gave up regular soda entirely, haven't touched it since. And ya know WHAT? It made a difference! They were right all along, I freeking reversed two cavities...who would have thought that possible? I mean yea ok I can see preventing a cavity, I'll buy that, but reversing one? The Hygienist even went so far as to take photos of the teeth to illustrate this strange phenomenon.

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Moral of the story... Dentists are not out to reduce the profits of companies such as Coke & Pepsi, if they come out and tell you something (which they have for as long as I can remember in this case) LISTEN, because it is in your best interest to do so, unless you have an affinity for dentures.

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I can't believe it's Thursday already.. these weeks are sailing by! I don't mind so much because as each passing day closes that is one more workout/run under my belt and one day closer to my goals. It also helps that the weekends come more quickly :) Last night I listened to yet another Chox cast (click on his name and scroll down and look to the right where his 8 podcasts are listed) I have been listening to dozens of other casts of late while I run each night and have found his the most comfortable and stimulating (to work out to I mean). There is very little dialogue and it's basically a DJ session which is as diverse and interesting as you can imagine. I am not aware of his background in Music, as I have not really spent that much time reading the blog (my bad), but his work is incredible, I can't recommend it enough. The one from last night started with Laurence Welk EVEN (yikes .. so not my type of music) and I was still loving it.

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