Dental health
Hey Sangeeta, that was a delicious dinner. This is a nice restaurant.
Yeah. Alice told me about it. So I notice that you seem to be chewing gum like all the time. Why do you do it?
Yes I do chew gum between meals. It's one of the commandments in my religion.
You're joking!
No, seriously. I believe in a religion called Sciencism. We have a holy book called the Scible. It has various commandments in it. One of them is to chew gum regularly between meals.
But why would you want to do that? It's unattractive.
I don't care about that. I must do what Science tells me to do, because it is for my own good. And Science says that we should chew gum between meals. And so I do it without question.
What's the justification for it?
The reasoning behind it and every other commandment and teaching in Sciencism is quite complex, and only a Sciencist of a high enough Level could understand it.
Well I'm not entirely stupid you know. I'm sure that if you explained it to me I would understand.
I certainly don't mean any offense. It's just that in Sciencism we have this thing called Levels. Every teaching in Sciencism has an associated Level number, and only those Sciencists at that Level or above can properly understand that teaching. If a person of a lower Level is confronted with that teaching, it leads to negative or dangerous emotions such as anger, confusion, boredom, violence, and so on. Invariably the teaching will not stay with him for long and will soon be forgotten, thus causing both teacher and student to waste time, which is one of the cardinal sins of Sciencism.
Sorry but I don't really buy that. Since I'm not a believer in this religion it should be ok to tell me why we should chew gum between meals.
Are you sure you want to know? Like I said, it may lead to negative emotions within yourself, the least of which is boredom.
Come on Simon, quit stalling! So tell me. All this suspense is killing me!
Very well, I will tell you. Science says in the Scible that we must chew sugar-free non-fruit-flavoured gum between meals. There are specific ingredients allowed in such chewing gums. In fact, any food that fulfills all the criteria laid out in the Scible is Scisher. It's similar to what Halal means to Muslims and Kosher means to Jews.
Well I'm with you so far. Sounds pretty intriguing.
That's good. What I've just told you is lower Level stuff. Most people can remain emotionally stable after learning this information, with only a moderate increase in boredom level, and a moderate likelihood of forgetting this information. Do you really want to hear the higher level stuff?
Yes, go on.
The reason that Science commands us to chew gum between meals is this: to protect our teeth. You see, teeth are susceptible to acids which slowly but surely wear them down. Bacteria that live in our mouths convert the food particles in our mouths into acids which damage our teeth. However we have a natural defense against this problem. Saliva. It works in multiple ways. Firstly it is a natural mild antiseptic. It kills and washes away bacteria that would otherwise create acids which eat away at our teeth. Secondly, being alkaline, it neutralizes the acidity in our mouths. Thirdly, it helps to remineralize the surface of our teeth. Saliva contains calcium ions which rebuild the teeth in a process called remineralization. There is also a hygiene-related reason. Chewing gum makes one's breath smell fresher. The Scible has quite a large section on hygiene, by the way.
I think you were right. I've forgotten most of what you just said. All I managed to understand was that saliva is good.
Well I did warn you. I'm sure that Science will forgive me. Science forgives such minor things easily.
But I still don't completely understand the need to chew gum. Don't we have saliva in our mouths regardless of whether we chew gum or not?
Natural saliva levels in our mouths are insufficient to protect our teeth. The chewing action stimulates the production and spread of saliva within the mouth.
I guess you're right. You said something about fruit-flavoured gum earlier?
Ah yes I forgot to elaborate on that. Most fruit flavoured gums contain various acids to simulate the taste of fruit. Unfortunately, as I already mentioned, acids are bad for teeth. Also, gums containing sugar are also bad, because bacteria in the mouth convert the sugar into - you guessed it - acids.
I see. Well, that certainly is a lot to digest, pardon the pun. This Sciencism religion seems interesting. Where can I get more information about it?
There is a wealth of information in the form of youtube videos. Just look for a user named "First Sciencist", all one word.
I'll have a look when I get home. Anyways, it was nice chatting with you. I should go.
Yeah Sangeeta, I enjoyed our chat and am glad that I told you about Sciencism. Anyway it's good to see you again See you later. Keep in touch!
