Wednesday, October 5, 2011

The Importance of Brushing Teeth - Part II

Last week we examined the importance of brushing your teeth as a preventative measure to defend against the acid found in foods.  This week we'll examine another way in which regular tooth brushing prevents problems - preventing tooth stains. 

This experiment is run much the same way as last week's.  You'll cover an egg with toothpaste, let it sit overnight and wash off the toothpaste the next day.

The egg is then placed in a cup of coffee (or strong tea).  A second, untreated egg is placed in a second cup of coffee.

The eggs are then allowed to sit and are observed over the course of the next 24 hours - or even longer if you wish.

You will notice that the untreated egg develops darker stains and develops them more quickly than the treated egg. 

You'll also notice that the treated egg does develop stains - the toothpaste does not completely prevent that from occurring, it just slows it. 
Untreated

Treated with toothpaste

So, when you brush your teeth,, you're building up protection against future stains as well as removing older stains.

4 comments:

  1. Hey, that's pretty cool! Indeed, brushing helps keep teeth clean and, more importantly, healthy. It's a shame that you can't show how beneficial flossing is, since it can do a lot of good to one's teeth.

    -Bradley Bedell

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  2. Very important to let the toothpaste sit overnight. We wiped off much too quickly and did not get the same results.

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  3. This is a very nice illustration! You didn’t only catch adults’ attention, but the kids’ as well. I think it’s best for kids to become aware of the importance of having clean teeth, especially at their young age. Brushing the teeth has a lot of health benefits. In fact, some studies show it can even help us live longer. This is a fun and simple experiment that should be done in front of kids, so they’ll understand the value of keeping their oral health in good condition.

    Nannie Livingstone

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  4. That's is a simple but yet powerful experiment to show importance of brushing which could be easy understood by children and adults also.

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