I don’t typically get giddy over dental products. In fact, I normally dread all things teeth related. But these tiny brushes are truly deserving of a little brouhaha.
You see, I have really dirty teeth. So dirty dental hygienists don’t say, “See you next year.” They say, “You really should come in again in 3 months.”
You’d think I’m just really lax when it comes to dental hygiene. But I’m not. I brush and floss after every, single time I eat. That’s right. Not just after meals. But whenever I eat. I even have a super sonic toothbrush with a special diamond head brush to get my teeth extra clean. And despite that, the plaque still builds up.
I’ve been told the condition is genetic. Some people just have the ideal saliva for plaque. What a lovely trait. And while the special toothbrush and rigorous cleaning schedule have helped, nothing has drastically improved my oral environment until I came across these wonder brushes.
They fit in-between your teeth, allowing you to scrub spots your tooth brush — or floss — misses. I’m absolutely amazed at how well they work. My teeth have never been cleaner in between dental appointments. It’s truly a miracle.
If you struggle with dirty teeth — or just want a cleaner mouth and fresher breathe, I’d suggest trying them out. They’re sold in super markets and drug stores alongside the floss. Just go easy at first. If you’re over ambitious, your gums will let you know. And yes, I speak from experience.
I thought I was pretty good when it came to applying sunscreen. I always lather up before spending a day in the sun. I even reapply. But after Monday’s wake-up call, I decided I better check to make sure I was doing a good enough job.
Turns out I wasn’t. Not even close. And I’m not alone.
One study found 9 out of 10 people don’t use enough sunscreen. So if you’re heading out in the sun — or sitting by a window — here’s what you need to know:
Choose a Sunscreen with UVB and UVA protection. The sun emits two types of rays, UVB and UVA. UVB rays only reach the top layer of our skin and are what cause us to burn. They’re also most closely linked to skin cancer. UVA rays penetrate deeper into our skin and cause our skin to age and deteriorate. So if you want to avoid burns, cancer and wrinkles, you must use a sunscreen that protects you from both UVB and UVA.
Apply Sunscreen Even if You Don’t Burn. We tend to think our skin only gets damaged when it burns. But that’s not so. If you’re in the sun, your skin is being damaged. Period. UVA rays penetrate our skin without leaving any visible signs. So you won’t see any redness. You won’t even see tan. The damage done by UVA rays is invisible. That is, until a few years down the road when it emerges as wrinkles. So if you don’t want wrinkles or would like to avoid adding to what you have, religiously apply sunscreen before entering the sun.
Lather Sunscreen on Thick — Super Thick — and Reapply. If you don’t put on enough sunscreen often enough, you won’t get the amount of protection labeled on the bottle, which means you’ll leave yourself open to burns, cancer and wrinkles. Unfortunately, knowing how much and when to apply sunscreen is a little complicated. So I created an infographic, below, to make it easy for you to remember. Click it, print it, laminate it and stick it in your beach bag so you never have an excuse not to use enough sunscreen again.
If you’ve yet to see this photo, you’re in for a huge wake-up call.
The man pictured above is 68 year-old Bill McElligott. For 28 years he drove a truck delivering milk to stores and gas stations throughout Chicago from the wee hours in the morning until 3 pm.
If it hasn’t clicked yet why the one side of his face looks 20 years older than the other, take note of which side appears more aged. The left side. The side facing his truck window.
Doctors at Northwestern University concluded that the “asymptomatic thickening and wrinkling of the skin” was “consistent with the Farve-Racouchot syndrome of photodamaged skin” caused by Ultraviolet A (UVA) rays transmitted from the sun through the glass window.
If that doesn’t make you want to pick up a bottle of sunscreen and lather it on every 30 minutes, I don’t know what will. Granted, we’ve all been warned of the damaging affects of the sun. However, never before — at least that I’ve seen — has there ever been such irrefutable and visible proof of exactly how destructive the sun is to our bodies.
Typically, when we’re shown examples of sun damage, the wrinkles and aging depicted could also be due to a number of other factors: diet, exercise, smoking or environmental. But not in this case. Due to the damage being only on one side, all of those other factors can be ruled out and only one remains: the sun.
And I’m absolutely stunned — practically floored — by how much damage it can cause. It’s almost unbelievable.
The more I look at this photo, the more it makes me reconsider all of the other “damaging” items we’re constantly warned about. Alcohol. Processed food. Pesticides. Smoking. Toxic chemicals. The things that age and damage our bodies not only externally, but also internally.
Unfortunately, we’ll probably never see a photo as explicit as the one above depicting the damaging affects of each of those items, because they’re ingested internally. As a result, the damage they cause affects the whole body, which means there will always be another factor that could be to blame. However, it’s not that far of a leap to assume they can potentially wreak just as much havoc. Yet we consume at least two — if not more — of those items listed above on a daily basis.
So maybe the photo above is sending us a much bigger message than lather on more sunscreen more often. Maybe it’s telling us to take heed of all those warnings we hear and avoid all of those damaging things — to the best of our ability.
