Less and Less Dumb Every Day!
I want you all to consider the 1 in 60 rule. Simply put, the rule is that for every 1° you are off course, you will end up being 1 mile off course after traveling 60 miles. Consequently, getting just 1° off course at the start will result in you becoming farther off course the longer you travel. We can deduce that this rule goes both ways. Small destructive changes get you farther from where you want to be, while small positive changes will result in you getting closer to where you want to be. For the context of this article, we will substitute distance for time.
Twenty years ago, Juli Zobell changed her last name to Miller as she became my wife. At the time we were both in our early-to-mid-twenties and to put it bluntly, we were Dumb. After all the ceremonies and celebrations, we sat amidst a pile of amazing gifts and envelopes from friends... of our parents. As we sat there and opened these great gifts, we found ourselves saying things like, "these guys have money, why couldn't they have just given us a 'Benjamin' or something?" That is the mindset and language pattern of young, immature, less intelligent, and ungrateful kids.
One gift in particular will forever stand out. It was a book: The Four Laws of Debt Free Prosperity: The Chequemate Story. It was paperback and not very thick. "What are we going to do with this little book?" we thought. "Quick, open the front cover; Maybe there's a 'Benjamin' inside." Ultimately, the little book was packed away with the other gifts as we prepared for our move to Mesa, AZ.
Boredom. That is what drove my new bride to pick up the little dusty book and turn the first page. Why was she bored? Don't hold this against her, but my wife is, believe it or not...Canadian. Being such, it took her some time for all the Permanent Resident paperwork and red tape (in this context, let's call it Red White & Blue tape) to be completed and approved. In other words she could not work for a few months so there she was; In a strange place, with no money, no friends, and no husband for a better part of her day.
And then one day it happened. I walk through the door to a forever changed woman who has been glued to this little book like it was written by Nicholas Sparks entitled 50 Shades of Sparkly Vampires. "John, you have to read this book. It is amazing," my wife insists. This being a dental column which should mention teeth and mouths at some point, I'll make it short. We became students of this book and it has influenced every day and decision of our lives from that boring Arizona day 20 years ago. After a couple hundred pages we were a little less Dumb (positive 1° shift) and we now refer to it as our "million-dollar" wedding gift. Our path in life was irreversibly changed for the better.
I cross paths frequently with the man who gave us that book and I always thank him and tell him how much that gift influenced our young and impressionable financial attitudes. During these chats, this gentleman always expresses the following: two are so lucky to learn these habits while you are young." And there you have it folks, The Segue. Establishing good habits. early will produce tremendous returns in all aspects of life. Just off the top of my head I can think of the following examples: Effective Study Habits, Strong Work Ethic, Smart Nutritional Choices, Sound Financial Decisions, Efficient Time Management, Physical Health Maintenance, Strengthening Healthy Relationships, etc.
Just like the 1 in 60 rule, if we make a tiny positive change but only persist for a short period of time we will not realize the positive results of this change. It requires time. There are no real shortcuts in life, no ethical get rich quick schemes, no healthy get skinny by the weekend techniques.
Nowhere is this more obvious to me than the Oral Health habits of the Flathead Community that I serve. The two major oral diseases that we will all combat in life are Cavities (caries) and Gum Disease (Periodontitis). These diseases have some unfortunate characteristics: 1) They both are e later are painless until the l s of the disease. 2) They both progress very slowly stages of the disea can, "Hey! in most cases. I always hear, Doc, you must get busy after Easter with all with all the candy that kids are eating." I respond, "Easter is going to keep me busy 2 "I years s from now." 3) The majority of cases are invisible to their victims. You would not be able to recognize lem by looking in the mirror until the the problem by latter stages of the disease. 4) They very affect very rarely localized areas of your mouth. In other words, if there is tooth decay or bone loss in one area of your mouth, chances are it is present in the rest of your mouth as well. Dental professionals would classify this as a "generalized" condition. A "localized" condition would be the exception rather than the rule.
These four characteristics create the perfect storm for major problems. Let me present a scenario that we see all too often. Mikey is a 25-year-old recent college grad who has been at his new job for the requisite 6-months to qualify for the companies Dental Insurance. He exclaims that it has been approximately 8 years since his last cleaning and check-up but his teeth feel fine. He has noticed some occasional mild sensitivity while eating sweets and his breath "could smell better" Mikey admits. "Just need a cleaning Doc, I have a blind date this Friday."
After a thorough evaluation of Mikey's X-Rays and teeth, decay is found between 12 of his teeth in addition to calcified plaque (calculus) deposits beneath his gums that have resulted in Generalized Mild Gum Disease requiring a more advanced multi-visit cleaning. Mikey is shocked. After insurance he will still owe thousands of dollars to restore his teeth back to health. I inform Mikey that his oral condition will never be easier cost less to fix than this appointment.
He would never admit this but I will tell you, Mikey brushes maybe once a day for 25 seconds and can't remember the last time he flossed. Mikey did not develop good oral health habits in his youth. The problem was his poor habits, in other words his 1° shift, not necessarily the 8 years away from dental care.
Let's introduce you to a new character: Good Habits Ricky. To keep things short let's just say Ricky brushes twice a day long enough to get al all the areas of his teeth clean, and to keep things realistic let's say he flosses 4 times a week the right way. When plugged into Mikey's scenario Good Habits Ricky comes away with needing fillings between two adjacent teeth and just a standard cleaning to address some localized posterior gingivitis. All said and done, Ricky gets taken care of to the tune of a couple hundred bucks after insurance. To develop Ricky's character further you should know that he was also shocked by needing the fillings.
The reader is now questioning me saying, "well, why did Good Habits Ricky have 2 cavities? After all, he has good habits." True, but in the scenario he did not go to the dentist for 8 years. His good habits, while allowing minor damage, prevented more significant damage. It is possible to stay away from the dentist for extended periods of time and remain free from oral disease such as cavities and gum disease, but it requires excellent oral hygiene and nutrition practices. In other words, it is the exception to the rule and is supported by my findings throughout my career.
We were given a little paperback book in our youth. It taught us how to prepare and invest in the future. It prevented the more significant damage that could have occurred had we not developed good financial habits. Invest in your future and the future of your children by stressing the importance of good oral health. There are so many positives to having a healthy mouth and smile. Better overall health, less chronic inflammation, less tooth pain, less money spent at the dentist, better looking smile, more confidence, etc.
In my earlier list of areas of life to develop good habits I left one out, and that is making sure you are having fun. If any of you know me personally you know that having a good time is pretty high on my list of priorities. I know that hounding you on good habits makes me sound really serious, but it's quite the opposite. Toothaches, credit card bills, high blood pressure make life stressful and serious. The good habits I'm encouraging will remove stress from all areas of life and allow you to kick back and enjoy the final weeks of another wonderful Montana summer...while Smiling of course.
Read Less and Less Dumb Everyday by Dr. John F. Miller, DDS, in 406 Woman magazine.