Laurie Learns a Secret

e [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] Dr Ellen will be with you in just a moment Miss Landon thank you I've got a magazine to read I don't think I'll ever walk into a dentist's office without thinking about races oh I know it sounds crazy but then the whole thing was kind of crazy the way it all started a couple of months ago I'll get it that's mine [Music] hello well Phyllis certainly didn't waste any time breaking the news about the fashion show imagine she got to model I didn't well if they didn't recognize real talent it was their hard [Music] luck a little later that morning I went to see Mr Morrison about that summer job it was my second interview and I was counting on it to pay my tuition next semester you know I never even got to see him he left word that he's sorry but the position has already been filled [Music] that afternoon I thought my luck was changing a crowd of us decided to go out to the track and we were having a wonderful time for a while [Music] but then the race was over everyone seemed to have something else to do somewhere else to go except [Music] me Pete was in a hurry too but he offered to drop me off at home and home is where I sat all evening long trying to figure out what had happened everything I tried had gone wrong was I wearing too much makeup was my hair a mess what in the world is the matter with me the more I thought about it the more mixed up I got I wasn't sure of anything anymore that's when I decided to go to bed forget about the whole thing but I couldn't forget it I was still trying to figure out what what was wrong with me well at least there was one thing I didn't have to worry about my teeth as a matter of fact I just remembered my appointment with Dr Allen I was doing his office first thing in the [Music] morning but what a shock I was in for the first thing Dr Allan did was to ask me a question Lori when did you brush your teeth last why this morning just before I came to see you I suppose you brush your teeth regularly twice a day sometimes more but why because Lori there's a big difference between brushing your teeth and cleaning them you can see for yourself what's on your teeth right now here let me take a small scraping MSU will you prepare the slide you see Lori we need a microscope to get the true picture missuse will be ready for us just a [Music] moment here take a [Music] look you mean that that stuff that fur is on my teeth that's right Lori take another look what you and many of my other young patients call tooth fur we call Dental plaque you might think of this Dental plaque as a miniature World a vicious destructive World which lives in our teeth but those wriggly things they look alive they are alive they're various kinds of microorganisms bacteria and protozoa you mean germs yes they're commonly called germs but how can those germs live in my mouth Lori run your tongue along the inside of your cheek and over your teeth feel a slick slippery substance mhm well this substance is an ideal breeding ground for germs these bacteria act on sugar in the mouth changing it to acid which dissolves the enamel of the teeth this is the start of tooth decay scientists have spent years studying this weird world of the mouth taking pictures working to solve its mysteries for instance some of their photographs show the dental plaque increasing in size as the germs grow and multiply it gets thicker and stickier uh just watch for a moment and see the activity of this world of germs in the mouth you know some of these germs look almost like little sports cars racing they are racing Lori the germs in your mouth are in a Perpetual race to ruin your teeth if you let them we have every reason to believe that the community of germs that lives in the mouth is a chief cause of cavities even periodontal disease fortunately folks are becoming more and more cavity conscious you might say oh it's still a big problem but at least people are more aware of it they realize they should be on guard against cavities however most folks don't know the first thing about periodontal disease Perry who perodontal disease which attacks the soft tissues and Bone around the teeth look these teeth are a sure Target for periodontal disease notice the patches of heavy plaque this plaque irritates the gums makes them swell and get red it also forms deposits which if left to accumulate form calculus or as most folks call it tarter this calculus separates the gum from the teeth gradually spaces or Pockets form between the teeth and the edges of the gum the germs multiply creep down into the pockets and attack the bone and tissues which support the teeth when this happens when the support is gone the teeth are loosened some may be lost altogether but doctor is this something I have to worry about Lori after a certain age more teeth are lost because of periodontal disease and because of cavities and there are other unpleasant features too like pink toothbrush and mouth odor with young people especially these conditions may cause serious personality problems I see what you mean yet the answer is quite simple just learn to brush your teeth correctly I know you do brush your teeth just about everybody does but brushing doesn't mean cleaning one of the problems is that it's hard to know where the patches of plaque are in your mouth you don't know where to look for them when you brush but there is a way we can show you how well or how poorly you brush your teeth we have what we call a disclosing solution because it discloses the areas of the teeth which need to be cleaned when we apply it you'll see that the areas of the teeth which are clean remain white areas which need cleaning turn red here let me show you missuse will you give Lori some disclosing solution to rinse with you'll find it has a pleasant taste just swish it around in your mouth for a few seconds then we'll have a look a moment later Dr Allen handed me a mirror I took one look and I could have died those red blobs so many of them they looked as though they were taking over my [Music] [Music] mouth Dr Allen told me to get off as much of the red as I could I brushed my teeth just the way I always do I thought I was getting them clean but when Dr Allan took another scraping and we looked at it through the microscope oh there they were again those miserable little germs oh maybe not quite as many but I could see I still wasn't getting my teeth clean why is it Dr Allan why don't I get my teeth clean am I using the wrong kind of toothpaste or powder or something Lori the most important thing is your toothbrush and how you use it now there are different kinds and sizes of brushes for different people and I'm going to show you the one for you but first look at this most people start out with a good brush if they don't realize it can become old and worn out looks like everyone in the family use this brush Lori as any brush gets old and worn out the bristles can't make good contact anymore they can't clean your teeth the way they should because the worn down bristles can't even get at the germs where still at worn ends often dig into the gums and this kind of cleaning may do more harm than good so if you have one of these brushes replace it with two new brushes so you can alternate use one while the other is drying and Lori remember you've got to keep on replacing your brushes from time to time to be sure they're in good enough condition to do the job now besides using a worn out brush there is a second reason why folks don't get their teeth clean they don't brush thoroughly do you have any idea how much time you spend brushing your teeth no not exactly probably no more than 30 seconds if you timed yourself yet how much time do you spend putting on your makeup and fixing your nails and fussing with your hair ours according to my family exactly same way with the boys before a date they'll devote a couple of hours to washing their car and only a couple of seconds to cleaning their teeth proper brushing takes at least several minutes I wish you young folks young men and women both would realize how much healthy teeth mean to you right now when you're starting out on both your social and business careers and even more so later on if you could look ahead I know you wouldn't rush through your brushing in fact Lori let me show you right now how to brush this time Dr Allan helped me with the brushing he showed me how to brush in the direction that my teeth [Music] grow he pointed out places I missed showed me how to clean them by working at it hard and he suggested that I also brush the tongue to scrape off the material that might be sticking to it after that I use some more disclosing solution and this time after Dr Allan had checked my teeth he let me see for myself cheers there was no more of that funny looking fur on my [Music] teeth gosh Dr Alan thanks a million for getting rid of that stuff on my teeth for once and for all now just a minute young lady I did no such thing I merely showed you how you can keep it under control Decay bacteria begin their work within minutes after eating if you don't keep after them the same trouble will start all over again right after your next meal because you can't get rid of all the bacteria and you are the only one that can prevent them and keep them under control then Dr Alan gave me two new brushes and some dental floss and he told me to continue brushing the way I'd been shown then he gave me a reminder to return for another visit before that next visit believe me I launched a one gal campaign got rid of my old relic of a toothbrush I practiced like mad rushed after every meal whenever I could I even worked with my sister tried to teach her to brush up on the lowers and down on the uppers not straight across the way she usually did but most important when I was in a rush and tempted to race through my brushing I thought about that other race the race of the germs to ruin my teeth as Dr Allen called it you know pretty soon it became a habit taking enough time to brush my teeth correctly and as the weeks went by my mouth felt fresher and cleaner I just naturally felt better more sure of myself I felt better toward everybody and everybody seemed to like me more [Music] will you come in now please oh thank you Dr Allan do you have a moment I'd like you to see how well miss Landon is doing H Lori I'm glad to see you've learned to brush your teeth correctly you're apparently using a good brush and taking enough time to do it your teeth and gums are in excellent condition congratulations and keep up the good work there goes a lucky girl missu Lori is lucky because she's learned the secret of taking care of her teeth I think she'll win the race for clean healthy teeth every one of you watching this picture right now has the same problem as Lori you have a living but Unseen World of microorganisms threatening your teeth like Lori you can learn to control this world remember the most important thing is your toothbrush and how you use it get into the habit of brushing thoroughly brushing regularly this is something you alone can do you alone can decide to have healthy attractive teeth for life and believe me it's worth the effort because your teeth can be the key to your entire health and personality oh [Music]