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Comment by dingleberry | Hacker News Reader

Yudkin mentioned about dental hygiene in his book Pure, White and Deadly: The Problem of Sugar (1972)

it's the form of sugar that matters.

the sticky (think twinkie) sugar does more damage because it sticks to cavities, fueling bacteria producing acid.

the stickiest, the sweetest fruit i can think of is fried dates. banana comes close.

but fruits don't even compare to twinkie, so don't worry too much about it. chewing fibrous non-sweet veg should be enough to 'brush' teeth naturally. of course brushing your teeth won't hurt

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> chewing fibrous non-sweet veg should be enough to 'brush' teeth naturally

Side-to-side, maybe.

Check out Miswak, it's an alternative to the toothbrush + toothpaste combo.

I've tried it, and it does clean your teeth effectively, but it's harder to use because the bristles point in the same direction as the handle instead of to the side. It doesn't work any better than a normal toothbrush so unless you're using it for religious reasons I don't see any reason to use it.

Few people I've met really worry about their dental hygiene beyond their daily brushing. In that regard, carrying around anything that keeps you engaged in that, is a good thing. In the morning and at night though... it's hard to beat a good modern electric brush.

Check out Miswak

Hey wow that looks pretty cool, I tried some Indian neem toothpaste before which wasn't bad, but I've never heard of this and am curious to try. Should be a fun shopping mission in Soi Arab on my next trip to Bangkok...

A Kuwaiti friend introduced me to miswak... amazing stuff. Hands down, it's the best portable toothbrush I've ever had. At home, in the mornings and at night I still use a Sonicare, but instead of picking my teeth or some other healthy, but unsightly activity, I take a minute out of side to use a miswak.

My dentist can't believe how healthy my gums are. The single best thing you can do for oral hygiene, however you go about it, is to clear food out of teeth as soon as possible. Miswak really makes that possible and practical.

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