November/December 2010 | Page 54

Observations

By Dr . Alex J . McKechnie

King Tut became pharaoh of Egypt at the age of 10 in 1333 B . C . and ruled for 9 years . He was a frail boy who suffered from a cleft palate and a clubfoot . He died of complications of a broken leg and severe malaria . His tomb was filled with a stunning array of jewels , artifacts and a golden funeral mask . A hole in his head was likely due to the mummification process .

An old granny ’ s suggestion is to smear peppermint toothpaste on a mosquito bite . Peppermint oil contains menthol that is supposed to stimulate receptors in the skin that respond to cold .

What ’ s next ? A “ dentist ” office was shut down recently in the Atlanta area where a man set up a practice in an apartment zoned residential and he did not have a dental license .

An outrage ! Capri Ramos was a young mom when she took her 4-yearold to a dentist for “ swollen gums ” more than 15 years ago . Uninsured , she made a partial payment and expected to be billed for the rest . She says she never received a subsequent bill and soon forgot about the episode . The lingering charge of $ 67.72 went to collections and was brought before a judge who awarded the collections agency and ordered the sheriff ’ s department to sell her home to make up for the debt . It sold in a 1996 auction for $ 1,550 although it was worth $ 51,000 .

Kiplinger , is a recent issue of Personal Finance Advisor , listed a number of reasons why retirees should consider Central and South America as their haven . One item mentioned , for example , is that in Costa Rica ’ s program of government-sponsored health care a dental crown replacement costs “ about ” $ 150 .

Most interesting Dental 101 Harrisburg Magazine recently devoted more than 20 pages in its annual dental issue . There was a page devoted to what was called Dental 101 that briefly tells about root canal , specialists , gum guys , dentists for children , cases for braces , fixing the big problems , the community minded , something is not quite white , sleep dentistry and other dental matters are treated . More than 260 dental offices were listed in the Harrisburg area as “ Top Dentists .” There were full page to 1 / 6 page advertisements paid for by dental practices . Most interesting .

These items are courtesy of former PDA president Dr . John Staubach :

• The average human produces 25,000 quarts of saliva ( spit ) in a lifetime . That is enough saliva to fill 2 swimming pools .

• The Statue of Liberty ’ s mouth is three feet wide .

• A sneeze zooms out of your mouth at over 600 mph ! ( try to keep your mouth and nose covered when you sneeze , please !)

• Children begin to develop their primary teeth six weeks after conception while in their mother ’ s womb .

• If you don ’ t floss , you miss cleaning 35 percent of your tooth surfaces .

• A tooth that has been knocked out starts to die within 15 minutes , but if you put it in milk or hold it in your mouth , it will survive longer . See a dentist ASAP .

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November / December 2010 • Pennsylvania Dental Journal