Korean Job Discussion Forums

[MANDRL]

I am from the United States. I grew up brushing my teeth in the morning and at night. As an adult, I brush my teeth every morning, and try to brush them every night.

One of the first things that struck me when I first moved to Korea was the constant brushing of the teeth by my coworkers. Every time I go to the bathroom it seems there is some other teacher brushing his teeth. After lunch or snacks there is a mad dash to the bathroom for a mass teeth brushing. My fiancee says that in the women's bathroom there is a cup full of toothbrushes all just hanging out together, touching each other.

Am I a heathen for only brushing my teeth once or twice a day?

[sojourner1]

NO, I think it's the bad breath problem. I dunno what the deal is, but the bad breath is a major problem in Korea. We are talking really bad breath. Maybe it's diet, I dunno, but bad breath is chronic and what more can people do than to habitually brush their teeth? It's crazy how bad a persons breath really can be Asia. I just don't get it.

[oneofthesarahs]

I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that so much Korean food has the potential to get stuck up in your teeth and otherwise make your breath funky. Generally I'm a twice a day tooth brusher, but eating certain Korean foods does compel me to brush my teeth in the middle of the day. So many foods have the little bits of pepper in them and I'm convinced that it's in my teeth. And fermented and otherwise spicy foods tend to linger a bit in your mouth. And it's not a nice kind of lingering.

Substory: Yesterday I bought a bag of Queen potato chips. They were some sort of green onion type flavor, similar to what you'd get in the States. They tasted okay at the time, pretty good for Korean chips. About a half an hour later I could still taste them in my mouth, so I brushed my teeth. But once the minty residual flavor faded away, I could still taste them. I ate a banana and drank a glass of milk. I could STILL taste them. Eventually I was heading to bed so I did my usual routine of brushing, flossing, and rinsing with Listerine. As I was trying to get to sleep, there was still a bit of the flavor lingering.

Moral of the story: Don't buy Queen brand chips unless you want to be tasting them all day.

[RACETRAITOR]

No, I think you take a very religious approach to dental hygiene. In effect, you're saying "God is my dentist." If it is in God's design for you to get cavities, it shall be so, whether you brush your teeth once, twice, or five times a day.

They are the heathens for intervening in God's plan.

[CeleryMan]

Than

[yingwenlaoshi]

You don't want to brush your teeth too much. I brush my teeth at work because I smoke and drink coffee. I brush maybe three times a day, but neglect to at night unless my girlfriend is here.

[CentralCali]

Another problem is that mouthwash (called "gargle" here) in Korea has alcohol in it. That's counterproductive. That kind of mouthwash kills the beneficial critters and helps the nasty ones that cause bad breath to multiply.

When are you supposed to brush your teeth? Every dentist I've visited in my life, even here, has told me, "Brush after meals and snacks." They've also told me to floss once a day.

[dogshed]

Ideally you would eat and snack during a short period of time and then floss and brush afterwards. This way your mouth is clean for a longer period of time.

Also, I was told by a hygienist that the most plaque is formed at night so it is very important to floss and brush before going to bed.

I wonder if that the lack of flossing, six month cleanings, and proper dental exams might negate any and advantage of the extra brushing.

[dogshed]

By the way please edit your subject. It is vague.