Be careful what you wish for.  Or, more accurately, when seeking a specific diet it may be best to follow the advice used in spy novels (and allegedly by various nefarious government agencies): trust, but verify.

Wait – “Various nefarious”?  Wow.  I don’t care that I’m the one who wrote that; I like it! But I digress.  Back to our storyline…

“Just what was that opening teaser referring to,” you ask?  The answer is, more and more restaurants are serving foods that they claim are gluten free. On the surface, that seems like a very good thing… and exactly what a lot of people have been wishing for.

However, apparently the claim “gluten free” can be as misleading or inaccurate as the phrase “semi-boneless ham”. (Paraphrasing George Carlin, there’s no such thing as a semi-bone!)

The concern here is with the issue of cross-contamination. A recent CNBC investigative report pointed out that few if any restaurants that advertise gluten-free menu items make much of an attempt to avoid gluten-laden items from filtering in to supposedly gluten-less products.

For example, take pizza dough.  Making it is a very messy process in which flour dust gets everywhere – all over the kitchen, all over the prep tables; even the guy making it comes out looking like Casper the Friendly Ghost.

And that’s the issue.  Unless they scour the kitchen when they’re done, and the prep cook changes clothes and thoroughly washes up before moving on to prepping gluten-free dough…  no matter how careful he is, some flour dust is going to get cross-contaminated into the new gluten-free dough.  Oops.

So am I trying to scare you off trying gluten free menu items?  Not at all – at CrispRoot, we’re all about going gluten free.  And, truth be told, the amount of cross contamination will likely be minimal.  For most people out there, they’re still going to gain 95% or more of the benefits of going gluten free – and that’s a good thing.  But for some people, even that little discrepancy can be a very big issue.

All I’m saying is, the next time you choose a gluten free item from a menu, if it’s important to you (or medically required) that it truly be 100% gluten free, you might want to ask your server a few discerning questions.  For people with health issues, it’s better the truth be known, don’t you think?

Trust, but verify.

Stay healthy, my friends.

(*For those who are interested, here’s a link to the CNBC article:

http://www.nbcnews.com/business/gluten-be-gone-restaurants-cater-new-food-fad-1C8781255)

A friend pointed something out to me the other day… he said he thinks that the term “social media” is an oxymoron.  You know what?  He may be right.

Facebook.  Twitter.  Blogs (and yes, I know, this is a blog).  Linked In discussions.  Comment sections under on-line articles. All are wonderful inventions, avenues in which people can reach out and find other people, share common interests, and have rational discourse over their disagreements.

For awhile, this all worked great.  But then, slowly but surely, something changed.  Oops.  Houston, we have a problem. Somewhere along the line, when taking advantage of all these wonderful new ways of connecting, people started to lose their social filters.  They forgot that it’s nice to be nice.

It’s amazing how loud people can get if they can remain anonymous, and how socially unacceptable their language can get when they can hide in cyberspace and not face the person they’re talking to (or about).

You know, it didn’t use to be like this.  When people actually had to talk to each other, they were far more civil.

You have to wonder if all this new found freedom to vent is actually unhealthy.  I wouldn’t be surprised if the blood pressure of the average person is 10 to 20 points higher than it was just a decade  ago.  All that healthy eating we’ve learned to do, all the exercise we’ve learned to get is getting offset by cyber anger!

So, what to do?  Actually, it’s easy.  A little will power and two simple words ought to do the trick.  What two words?   Stop it.

Here’s a few suggestions on how to to just that:

- Don’t post anything on line that you wouldn’t say to a person’s face.

- Don’t post language you wouldn’t use in front of your grandmother.

- Count to ten before you let your feelings flow through your fingertips and out into cyberspace.

- Before you hit “send”, ask yourself how you’d like to be on the receiving end of what you’re about to post.

- Apply the old expression, “if you have nothing nice to say, then say nothing at all”.

In other words, let’s put the “social” back into “social media”.

Stay healthy, my friends.

Going gluten free is an unfortunate requirement for many, many folks out there. Thankfully, there are more and more gluten-free food options for them; even gluten free beer – I haven’t tried it yet, but I hear it’s good.  That’s good news for those who have to go gluten free – but, as I learned firsthand over the holidays, it’s also good news for others, as there may be benefits of a gluten free lifestyle to be had by many more as well.

Bear with me as I explain…

I had looked forward to my family Christmas gathering with a certain amount of dread, because of a six-year old nephew who can be, to put it kindly, a holy terror.  He’s extremely hyper, gets wound up at the slightest excuse, and acts out violently – he thinks nothing of hitting people, or of running full speed across a room and slamming into the relative of his choice, over and over again.  I had bruises last year for a week, and wasn’t looking forward to more of the same.

This year, though, was different.  My nephew was dialed down about 75% from gatherings past, and actually sat quietly (well, not quietly – it was Christmas after all, and he did get a bunch of new toys to play with).  In talking to his mother, she related that not only was he calmer, but he had stopped fighting going to bed.  Better yet, she said, he was actually sleeping through the night – something he had never done before.

What was the difference?  C’mon, really?  You need to ask??

At the suggestion of a friend, they put my nephew on a gluten-free diet.  The benefits, I am told, became apparent almost immediately – he calmed down, slept better, and was better behaved in general.  They also saw how quick his hyperactivity returned when they relented and let him have a gluten-laden snack.

Here’s the kicker: His doctor says there is no medical reason requiring my nephew to go gluten-free; he has no known medical condition that reacts to gluten.  The doc can’t explain why his behavior improves so much when he avoids it, other than to say there’s something in my nephew’s body chemistry that turns gluten into rocket fuel. (No, really?)

And the point of all this, why I perhaps over-shared some family info, is to make the point that it’s quite possible there are a lot of people out there who can benefit from going gluten free for reasons other than medical ones. One example that comes to mind is, I’ve heard several adults say they feel like they have more energy when they’ve tried it.  Hmmm…..

Hey – this isn’t a doctor’s recommendation by any means, and as they say in commercials, your results may vary… but I’m thinking, what if everybody tried going gluten-free for a few days?  True, it may not provide a benefit to everyone…

….but how will you know unless you give it a shot?

Stay healthy, my friends.

Well, the Mayans were wrong.  It wasn’t the world that was ending, just the year.  Yup, 2012 is about to head off into retirement, and 2013 is in the on deck circle and about to step up to the plate.  The question is, are you ready for that?

Yes, 2013 is just around the corner, and bringing with it all the challenges and excitement of a new year.  First things first, though.  Have you taken down your Christmas lights yet?  If not, why not?  Please don’t tell me there are CrispRooters out there that leave their outdoor lights up all year long.  No way.  CrispRooters wouldn’t do that!

OK, I’ll cut you some slack, until the weekend after New Year’s anyway.  Your image is safe until then.

Have you made your New Year’s Resolutions yet? No?  Me neither.  I mean, c’mon, how many of those things ever get kept, anyway?  Don’t believe me?  OK, how many times have you resolved to lose weight, and give up by President’s Day?  Don’t feel bad, though.  Check out the parking lot at the local gym on January 2^nd, then again on March 1^st.  You’re not alone.

My point is, why bother making the same resolutions year after year, if you know you’re not going to keep them?

I changed my mind.  I will make one resolution this year, because I know I can keep it: aside from this one, I resolve not to make any New Year’s Resolutions!  There.  I’ve improved myself.  I feel better already!

Onwards…

So, have you decided where you’re going to be December 31^st, when the ball drops and the clock strikes 12:00?  Out partying like it’s 1999, at home watching Ryan Seacrest make us miss Dick Clark, or safely tucked into bed because partying at New Year’s is so been there, done that?

At my house, we have a tradition that kind of combined all three options.  We meet up with a British friend and her family at a local British pub, and celebrate London New Year’s with a pint or two.  That takes us from 2:00 until 4:30 or so, PST.

That’s followed by a short drive home.  A few hours relaxing, a change of clothes, then we’re off to a nice steakhouse with a group of friends.  The ring leader of our semi-motley crew is from New York City – so yes, you guessed it, we’re celebrating New York New Year’s.  That goes from 7:00 until 9:30 or so, PST.  Then we head home, getting off the road before the amateur drunk drivers get on it.  We wrap up the evening either watching the ball drop, or not, depending on if we feel like it.

And that leaves New Year’s Day – which also has options, depending on your preference and what you did the night before.  There’s the ever popular nursing of hangovers, the watching of the Tournament of Roses Parade, the watching of the Rose Bowl &/or any other collage bowl game that’s on that day.  For some, there’s still more partying – usually, though, only if the first option mentioned above is skipped.

So, what’ll it be for you?  Fire up your keyboard and put up a post – any creative resolutions?  Any fun New Year’s traditions you’d care to share? (uh, keep those family friendly, Y’All…)  Have at it – we love reading what everyone is up to!

And here’s to a safe and prosperous, Happy New Year!

Stay healthy, my friends…

Growing up, this time of year had two special traditions:  caroling, and cookies.  Often times, the first was followed immediately by the second.

This year, in prepping for the inevitable songs & sweets fest, it occurred to me:  what about people who require a gluten free diet - what are they to do?  What about kids who meet that description – I don’t even want to think of their faces, when everyone is munching on a Christmas cookie, and they have to just sit there.

So, in the spirit of Christmas, I decided to do something about it.  It didn’t take long to find some tasty gluten free alternatives on the web, and I thought I’d share two particular favorites…  with  links included, not only for attribution, but because the web sites involved have a lot more recipes where these came from.

GLUTEN FREE GINGERBREAD MEN

SERVINGS
Makes 6 gluten-free gingerbread cookies

INGREDIENTS
1 cup brown rice flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
pinch of baking soda
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons soft light brown sugar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup

For the decoration:
3 1/2 ounces gluten-free white chocolate, melted
gluten-free candies or raisins (optional)

PREPARATION
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Sift all the dry ingredients together into a large bowl. Place the butter, sugar, and corn syrup in a small saucepan and heat gently until melted, then stir into the flour mixture and bring together to form a ball.

2. Place the dough onto a surface dusted lightly with rice flour and roll it out to a thickness of 1/4 inch. Cut out 6 gingerbread men or other shapes (depending on their size) with a cutter, then place on a baking sheet and place in the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool.

3. Use the white chocolate to pipe features, such as buttons, onto the cookies and decorate with candies or raisins if you want.

LINK: http://www.thedailygreen.com/healthy-eating/recipes/5974

GLUTEN FREE SUGAR COOKIES

INGEDIENTS

• 1 cup super fine white rice flour (or sweet rice flour)
• ½ cup potato starch (not potato flour)
• 1 cup cornstarch
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons xanthan gum
• 1 teaspoon salt (or ½ if you prefer a bit less salt)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup organic spectrum shortening (or substitute 1 cup soft room temp butter)
• 1 egg
• 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon almond extract
• extra potato starch for rolling out dough

PREPARATION

1. 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pull out 1-2 cookie sheets wrapped in foil or parchment.
2. 2. In small bowl, whisk together flours, baking powder, xanthan gum, and salt. Set aside.
3. 3. In kitchen aid mixer bowl, cream sugar and shortening. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients a little at a time until combined. The dough will be soft.
4. 4. On a bread board sprinkled with potato starch, take half the dough with your hands and flatten it and roll it out to ¼ inch thickness. Using plastic wrap over the dough while using a rolling pin will help with sticking.
5. 5. Cut cookies in desired shapes and place on cookie sheet.
6. 6. You can re-roll the scraps and make more cookies until the dough is gone.
7. 7. Bake for exactly 13 minutes.
8. 8. Remove the pan immediately from the oven and let cookies cool on pan, then remove to wire rack.
9. 9. Enjoy!

Notes

Watch the timer, these cookies can dry out very fast if accidentally left even a few minutes in too long! Remember all ovens are different, so you may have to adjust the cooking time between 12-14 minutes.

LINK: http://www.glutenfreeconfessions.com/2012/01/22/light-and-fluffy-gluten-free-sugar-cookies/

If you know someone requiring a gluten free diet, how about knocking out a plate or two these just for them this holiday season – I suspect they’d appreciate it!

And as for the caroling, well…  In light of the recipes I just shared, I thought I’d kind of change the words around on an old classic:

“Oh gluten free, oh gluten free…”

Stay healthy, my friends.

The Holiday Season is here.  The Thanksgiving turkey leftovers, aka the gift that keeps on giving, are being more and more creatively utilized.  It’s time for Holiday parties, gift giving, seeing old friends… and as I was recently reminded, a lot more.

Thanksgiving is all about being thankful, or at least, it should be. Football and stuffing your face can happen on any given Sunday in the fall, so let’s go with the original meaning of the holiday.

Then there’s Christmas.  For many, the original meaning and spirit is alive and well; for others, it’s more of a time of intensive retail therapy.  For some, it’s both.  There’s also Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and for you Seinfeld fans out there, there’s Festivus.  Feel free to celebrate any or all of them as you may.

The one universal truth to all of these holidays, is that they make this a time for happiness and joy, for being thankful for friends and family, and for the things, material and otherwise, in our lives.  And maybe, just maybe, it’s a time to pay some of that good fortune back.

“And where, pray tell, are you going with this,” you ask?  Read on.

Over the past week, I have had the honor and privilege to ride with my HOG (Harley Owners’ Group) chapter to three very special events.  First, we rode to the Naval Hospital in San Diego, and along with volunteers from many different and quite varied organizations, put up holiday decorations in the halls and lobbies of the Wounded Warrior barracks at the facility.

Several days later we rode to the Wounded Warriors Barracks on Camp Pendleton, to do much the same thing.  This time the chapter flew solo on the project, but when we left, the common areas of the barracks were as bright and as festive as we could make them.  What was amazing to us was the number of Marines who went out of their way to thank us as we went about stringing garland and hanging ornaments on a 9’ Christmas tree – quite frankly, we thought it they had things turned around; we were doing this to thank them.

In between, we rode to the Mt. Soledad Memorial on behalf of one of our own, a former chapter member (and son of a longtime and ongoing chapter member) who had fallen while in service to his country.  There is a plaque on the memorial, one of hundreds if not thousands of such plaques, recognizing his service and his sacrifice.  It was our honor to ride there on Sunday to salute both him all the others memorialized there.

Each are annual events for us.  It’s some of the many ways we try to give back throughout the year, of saying thanks for what we have, and in these specific cases, to honor those who ensure our freedom to do things like ride a Harley whenever and wherever we want, and to live the lives we do.

And that, finally, brings me to my point:  Try it.

No, not riding a Harley (unless you want to, that is).  What I mean is, volunteer for something.  Yes, you can do a monetary donation, and those are helpful, believe me.  But you will not believe the feeling you get from volunteering the one thing we can all afford, and that is time.

You can do what we did, and help a veterans group.  You can volunteer at a soup kitchen or a homeless shelter, or spend time doing holiday programs at a retirement home, or help out at a battered women’s shelter.  These and other opportunities are out there, and waiting for someone to step up.

Should you decide to participate, what you’ll notice rather quickly, is that the recipients of your generosity truly appreciate what you’re doing for them.  Many of them feel very alone this time of year, and many feel all but forgotten.  Your gift of time, of showing them that someone knows they are there, that they still matter, that someone cares – that is the greatest gift of all.

And to those of you who decide to give volunteering a try, I say this:  thank you.

Stay healthy, my friends.

I have a cold.  I hate having colds.  Not only because having a cold isn’t the highlight of anyone’s day, but because it always brings out the discussion of whether to take cold meds or whether to skip’em.  In my house, there are two very different approaches to that subject.

My wife is a firm believer in the take ‘em school of thought.  Of course, she would bamboozle the research staff of the pharmaceutical companies that make the things  – if the box says “may cause drowsiness”, she gets wired, but if it says, “may cause excitability”, she zonks out within thirty minutes of taking them.  Her doctors don’t get it, but I do.  I think she just likes being contrary.

As for me, whatever the box says is going to happen is what happens, but usually it happens to an extreme.  If I take cold meds that warn “may cause drowsiness”, they’ll take a couple hours to kick in, but then I stay groggy far past when I should.  I end up with “medicine head” for half the next day.  You know what “medicine head” is, don’t you?  It’s where your brain is all fuzzy, you can’t concentrate, and even the simplest tasks seem to take maximum effort?   Sorry, but I hate that!  Therefore, I rarely take the things.  My wife says it has nothing to do with medicine head, it’s just because I want to suffer and complain about having a cold.

I do like the warning that’s on every brand’s box of meds, though: “Do not operate heavy machinery while taking these pills.”  Really?  Oh, darn – here I was planning on renting a bulldozer and digging myself a swimming pool today, too.  Oh, well.  Maybe next week.

Then there’s the “starve a cold, feed a fever” vs. “feed a cold, starve a fever” debate.  After going back and forth about it for years, and hearing our friends do the same thing (‘It’s starve a cold, no wait, it’s feed a cold, no wait…”),  well, with my last few colds I’ve done a lab study, and am happy to report that the correct saying is “Feed a cold, starve a fever.”

Unless you my wife.  She’s probably just as backwards with that as she is with cold med side effects!

So, where do you fall in the pro or con re: cold meds debate?  Or, for that matter, do you have any off the wall home remedies that help you kick a cold?   I have one my dad passed down to me that involves a very hot bath, a bunch of Vicks, and a shot of bourbon – the only problem is, it helps knock out a cold but it makes a flu worse.  So, you kind of have to roll the dice and take your chances.

Anyway, post your thoughts on cold meds, or better yet, on any awesome home remedies that help you kick the common cold.  I’ll read them with a great deal of interest, I promise you!

Stay healthy, my friends!

One nice thing about fall is, the return of cooler temperatures brings with it the return of an American staple that’s popular for dinner, lunch, or especially tailgating: chili!

Chili has long been a tradition in our house this time of year, though I’ve sometimes wondered if my wife really likes chili as much as I do, or simply likes a day off from cooking.  In our house, just as with anything cooked on the BBQ, chili is MY domain – which makes me wonder if this is true in other households as well.

Then again, it matters not who makes it, as long as it gets made.  With me, making chili is an event, an almost all day affair that fills the house with aromas guaranteed to make anyone hungry.

The secret to my success; well, one of several, actually – is in the slow cooking of the chili, and I do mean sloooooooooow.  It takes about two hours prep work, but that’s not the slow part.  Once the prep is done, it’s everything into the slow cooker for at least four hours, stirring thoroughly every 15 minutes or so.

What goes in it? A blend of herbs and spices not necessarily associated with chili, which I reveal to no one.  I coarse grind some quality lean beef, leaving on a little fat for flavor.  If you don’t have access to your grandmother’s kitchen meat grinder like I do, any butcher shop can do this for you.  Then there’s diced tomatoes, diced peppers, diced onions…. and, oh yeah, minced garlic.  Depending on my mood, maybe some diced jalapenos.  Plus the obvious: chili powder, and usually cayenne pepper.  For liquid, I use…   nope, sorry, can’t tell you that.  It’s very specific, and another secret to my successful chili recipe.

You’ll notice I didn’t mention beans. That’s because I don’t use them.  There are chili contests around the country where beans are considered a filler, and are, in a word, verboten.  I subscribe to this school of chili making.  Meat, veggies, liquid, spices… and NO beans.

I can adjust my chili to come out anywhere from three alarm to nuclear meltdown.  My favorite is the version that starts very flavorful, and the heat builds as you eat it as opposed to smacking you in the face.

Again, a key component of a great chili is the sloooooow cooking, because the flavor and the spicy heat saturates every morsel.  Besides, when it takes all day to cook, the house fills up with an aroma that guarantees you a horde of hungry people by the time it’s time to serve.

Speaking of serving, here’s how to dish it up: Saltine crackers should be crushed and placed in the bottom of a bowl. Ladle the chili on top, cover it with a smattering of diced onions and grated cheese, and possibly a dollop of sour cream if you like.  (It should be noted that dairy products cool the heat, but that contributes to the slow build that I so desire.)

Oh, and by the way, if you’re not a beef eater, you can make turkey chili in much the same way as described.  Or, for the vegetarians or vegans out there, skip the protein all together.  The trick there is, dice the veggies up into bigger pieces, and you’ll likely want to add the beans back in that I leave out.  Regardless of which version you like, trust me, take the time to do it right and it’ll be a huge hit with your family &/or your guests.

Oh, and one other thing – don’t forget cornbread as a side dish! Trust me, it’s a perfect compliment to chili.

Stay healthy, my friends…

(*btw, chili makes for a great gluten-free meal.  Just skip the saltine crackers, or use gluten free ones.  Ditto on the cornbread.)

It must be Fall – the signs are unmistakable.  The leaves are changing, people tell me it’s sweater weather everywhere but here (in SoCal so far, it’s just been “sweat” weather), and the Christmas decorations are on the shelves in Costco and Lowes.

Fall has its rewards, but it also comes with a bit of a do list, and in our ever-helpful CrispRoot style, we thought this would be a good time to hit you with a few reminders.

Check and clean the chimney: No, not the outside.  The inside.  Creosote, a sticky, tar like substance, can build up there and catch fire if it gets too hot.  So, take a peek up your chimney and see if you have a buildup.  If you do, hire a chimney sweep to clean it out.  Oh, and while you’re looking up the chimney, make sure you can see the sky.  Birds sometimes make nests in chimney tops, or bricks come lose and block them.  The two ways to find out if that has happened is to either take a peek, or to light a fire and wonder why all the smoke is pouring into your house.

Raking leaves detail: Yup, it’s time for the seemingly never-ending chore of raking up leaves and disposing of them.  This is a task that annoys me no end, as we went out of our way to landscape with trees that keep their leaves year round – but since our neighbors didn’t follow suit, and the prevailing wind blows in our direction, we (meaning me) end up raking up more of their leaves than they do.  Grrr.

Store the patio furniture for winter: It’s about time to clean, maintain, and then store the patio furniture for winter.  You can put off the cleaning and maintenance if you want, but that just means you’ll have to do it come spring.  Just do it now, so you can simply put the stuff back on the patio and enjoy it come April.  (Southern Californians get the maintenance and cleaning tasks like everybody else, but we get a pass on the storage chores.  I knew there was a reason we all put up with the high taxes around here!)

Leaves revisited: Leaves, the gift that keeps on giving.  Once the trees have finished doing the shedding thing, you need to clean out your gutters so they work properly during the upcoming rainy season.  There’s nothing like a leaf log jam at the top of a downspout to make your gutters non-functional.

Exercise: Just because summer is over, it’s no excuse to park your butt on the couch and stop exercising.  In fact, with all the chowing down done during football season, exercising is more important than ever during the next several months.  You don’t want someone painting “Goodyear” on your sides, now do you?

Eat healthy: there are ways to eat healthy during football season.  Low carb beer, low fat foods, lean meats… and for those who need to or prefer to avoid gluten, there are plenty of gluten free options these days as well.  (I can point you in the direction of some great chips, for example.)

But, I know there are those of you who just can’t get yourself to do that; that pigging out on “football food” is a sacred ritual.  Well, there’s no fighting City Hall, so for you guys, eating healthy is going to be something you really want to makes sure to do the rest of the week; not only to avoid that “Goodyear” thing, but to keep your arteries from looking like the L.A. freeways during rush hour.

OK, that’s it – you’ve got your assignments; get hopping!  After all, it’s only a couple of days until the next game, and no one likes to get “honey-doed” out of watching football.

Stay healthy, my friends…

Dental health.  It’s important, right? Yep, you betcha’.  Proper dental maintenance is why a majority of us are running around with mouths full of healthy, pearly white teeth.  So why is it I hate going to the dentist every six months for a check-up and teeth cleaning?

I think I am not alone in this – going to the dentist, even for something as sublime as a checkup and cleaning, ranks right up there with hearing you’re being audited by the IRS. Why is that?

Well…

For me, it’s all about the discomfort.  Keeping your mouth open for long periods of time is not normal, unless you count the times you snore after falling asleep watching TV.  My jaw muscles always ache after seeing the tooth doctor.

Then there’s the scraping of tartar and plaque – granted, as over half of the cleaning process is now done ultrasonically, it’s not as bad as it once was.  But, to me, the scraping and picking they do is akin to fingernails on a chalkboard. I have to steel myself to ignore it, because flinching when someone has a pointy object in your mouth isn’t necessarily a good an idea.

Then there’s the always entertaining rinse-and-spit.  It was terrible before, having to spit into that tiny paper cup from a leaning-back position.  Now that they use suction to get the rinse water out of your mouth, it’s better… until they catch your tongue or your check with the suction.  I have to admit, though, that it’s kind of funny hearing a piece of dental equipment make the same noise you used to get in trouble for, when you were a kid and you purposefully plugged the end of the vacuum hose.

Then there’s the lectures on flossing more, on using fluoride treatments, or whatever else strikes their fancy.  Yes, Mom – I promise I’ll floss more, and rinse my mouth every day with that purple stuff.

Oh, and just when you think you’re done, then there’s the wait while they check to see if there are any cavities on the x-rays.  The silver lining here is, a dentist’s cavity search is a lot less invasive than the ones performed by prison guards.

Still, as uncomfortable as they are, routine checkups and cleaning keep those cavities (or worse) from happening.  That’s a good thing, right?

I guess that means dental procrastination is just another of life’s great mysteries.  After all, regular teeth cleaning is obviously beneficial, so why do we all put off making a trip to the dentist to take a bite out of grime?

Stay healthy, my friends!