Think #10

Nano-hydroxyapatite toothpaste

• This is relatively new in the US, although the nano-hydroxyapatite (nHa) molecule was patented by scientists at NASA in 1972. A Japanese trading company owner looking for business ideas in 1974 came across a list of available NASA patents and was fascinated by nHa. He asked one of his company’s original investors, who also happened to be a dentist, to connect with one of the NASA scientists who filed the nHa patent. They met, the idea for toothpaste as a way to restore enamel was born, and the first nHa toothpaste was launched in Japan in 1980.
• nHa is a non-inferior alternative to fluoride in terms of cavity prevention and remineralization, according to a few head-to-head studies. It’s seemingly better at tooth desensitization than fluoride (based on subjective judgments from study participants). Interestingly, the mechanism of desensitization is through remineralization, as opposed to typical anti-sensitivity toothpastes, which numb teeth with potassium nitrate.
• Because nHa is relatively newer than fluoride, and fluoro-apatite is physically stronger than nHa per bone scaffolding studies, I think solely relying on nHa toothpaste isn’t a great idea. Using a fluoride toothpaste in the morning and a nHa toothpaste at night, or using a combination toothpaste, or just sticking to fluoride toothpaste if sensitivity isn’t a huge issue for you are all good options.

Yelling at people

• Not productive overall, although sometimes it’s necessary for safety purposes, or happens as a result of laziness (yelling an answer from upstairs at someone downstairs).
• I generally hate seeing other people getting yelled at, especially if one family member is yelling at another, namely a parent yelling at a kid or a husband/wife yelling at their partner. Like, do you really think yelling is going to get your point across better? You’re embarrassing and belittling the other person. They’re not going to want to tell you they made a mistake or ask for your help in the future because they will think you are going to loudly make them feel like crap.

Trashy reality TV

• Did you have a long, grueling day at work? Is your brain battered and fried to a crisp? Do you want to watch something that requires zero mental labor, judge people for any reason, and witness moronic drama? Well, amigo, I have just the thing for you: trashy reality TV.
• There are so many stellar shows to choose from. Love Island, The Bachelor, Too Hot to Handle, Bling Empire, and Love is Blind are several that I’m familiar with. Season 1 of Love Island Australia and Season 6 of Love is Blind are standouts in my opinion.
• A lot of these shows are centered on finding love. I understand that not everyone is into cringing at awful pickup lines or watching people cry over being dumped. There is other reality TV, of course- cooking shows, Survivor, Dirty Jobs, Undercover Boss, and Ice Road Truckers come to mind. However, these shows are not trashy, and trashiness is a major part of the appeal of mindless TV.