Teeth polishing apparently doesn't have any real health benefits.
Despite its infrequency, going to the dentist can be a total hassle, especially when it seems you sit in the waiting room for 15 minutes only to stare at a bright light and have someone put sharp metal instruments in your mouth.
However, there is some good news about those bi-annual, mint-flavored excursions.
According to The New York Times’ Well Blog, teeth polishing with that rotating sander-like device doesn’t have any real health benefits, so feel free to opt out of it if you can. Even the American Dental Hygienists’ Association suggests that teeth polishing should not be included in a routine dental cleaning.
“Scaling,” which involves removing stains using “metal hooklike instruments” is viewed as far more effective in removing plaque, but too much of it can also lead to enamel damage.
So, spare yourself some unnecessary agony and time so you don’t have to listen to your dentist’s soft rock radio station any longer.
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This past week, scientists, doctors and academics conveyed on Washington D.C. to discuss the capabilities and ethics of gene editing in humans eggs, sperm and embryos.
The practice of gene editing in humans is controversial because of fears about new diseases, “designer babies” and just generally screwing up the human species as a whole.
On the sunny side, scientists believe that one day human gene modification might eliminate diseases such as Alzheimer's, AIDS and cancer, according to an NPR article on the event.
The three-day conference concluded with a statement that advocated continued research on the area but claimed it would be “irresponsible to proceed” to create a pregnancy from altered genetic material at this point, so I guess I’ll just have to watch Splice for a little longer.
@LukeFurmanOU
