For 22 years I had no cavities. Not one. My teeth were great, I even enjoyed going to the dentist. I brushed regularly but didn’t really do much special to take care of my teeth. I did do a nose dive over my handle bars back when I was 12 and ended up with two root canals on my front teeth but that was dental fluke and a result of my recklessness as a kid.

Then, when I was about to head off to Japan and was without dental insurance I headed in for an exam, figuring it’d be fairly painless and even though I didn’t have insurance it wasn’t too expensive. That was until they found a cavity. That led to lectures about flossing, which in turn has lead to more cavities, more fillings, and more mouth pain.

I’m flossing daily now, it’s become a “good” habit, well at least one I like cause my teeth feel less funky, but I can’t help but wonder, is flossing a conspiracy by dentist to just continue to drum up business? What about toothpaste? Tartar control? Is the entire checkup thing just a scam? Is floride a hoax?

What say ye Internet?