this post was submitted on 26 Jan 2025
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Showerthoughts

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A "Showerthought" is a simple term used to describe the thoughts that pop into your head while you're doing everyday things like taking a shower, driving, or just daydreaming. The most popular seem to be lighthearted, clever little truths, hidden in daily life.

Here are some examples to inspire your own showerthoughts: 1

Rules

  1. All posts must be showerthoughts
  2. The entire showerthought must be in the title
  3. No politics
    • If your topic is in a grey area, please phrase it to emphasize the fascinating aspects, not the dramatic aspects. You can do this by avoiding overly politicized terms such as "capitalism" and "communism". If you must make comparisons, you can say something is different without saying something is better/worse.
    • A good place for politics is c/politicaldiscussion
    • If you feel strongly that you want politics back, please volunteer as a mod.
  4. Posts must be original/unique
  5. Adhere to Lemmy's Code of Conduct

If you made it this far, showerthoughts is accepting new mods. This community is generally tame so its not a lot of work, but having a few more mods would help reports get addressed a little sooner.

Whats it like to be a mod? Reports just show up as messages in your Lemmy inbox, and if a different mod has already addressed the report the message goes away and you never worry about it.

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Like who tf made up that rule? Maybe it's just a different kind of dirty????

edit 1/26: i apologize for the dumb posts that I make when I am high

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[–] remotelove 26 points 5 days ago (2 children)

Food contains sugars and other things that cause plaque. Food gets stuck in between teeth. Bacteria love that shit.

Toothpaste is an abrasive cleaner that can contain things that kill bacteria. Tooth paste is usually minty, making your mouth feel fresh.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Sodium Laureth Sulfate is what makes toothpaste foam and what makes your mouth “feel” clean.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_laureth_sulfate

[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

It also contributes heavily to the formation of aphthous mouth ulcers. For anyone suffering them like I used to (which is to say "badly"): if this is the first time you're hearing about it, look for tooth paste with no SLS. It doesn't matter if the L is Lauryl or Laureth, that shit is drying out the mucous membranes in your mouth, making them more prone to damage, and thereby giving you ulcers. Kroger/King Soopers have a generic that's SLS-free, but Sensodyne Pronamel is one that's usually SLS-free if you can't find a generic. If you have an ulcer right now:

  • Crush up an aspirin to fine powder
  • Dampen a cotton swab with some clean water
  • Dip the swab in the aspirin powder so it makes a kind of paste
  • Paint the paste on the ulcer with the swab

It'll hurt like hell, but doing this daily will heal the wound in a few days instead of a few weeks.

As well, most people brush too hard; some of that "clean" feeling is coming from gum trauma from brushing too hard. Holding the toothbrush between forefinger and thumb limits the amount of pressure you can apply, reducing the risk of damaging your gums.

Finally, flossing gets the biofilm out from between your teeth; brushing gets it off the exposed surfaces; and peroxide-based mouthwash is a nuclear firestorm to scour the bacterial population. Do all three each night at least, and your breath will be better than anyone you know.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 5 days ago

Also humans lack a stable tooth-friendly microbiome in their mouths. At least not ones in modern societies, I mean maybe someone in remote areas of the world (who has never eaten refined sugar and never used mouthwash, still eats unprocessed+fibrous foods etc.)?

[–] [email protected] 11 points 5 days ago (1 children)

It doesn't. It's mainly the toothbrush that cleans the teeth.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 5 days ago

Yes. Imagine how filthy your teeth would be if you just chewed the toothpaste, and skipped the mechanical cleaning of brushing/flossing.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 4 days ago

Sweating makes my body dirty, why the hell does showering in water make it clean?????

Like who tf made up that rule? Maybe it's just different kinds of dirty???

[–] [email protected] 7 points 4 days ago

Probably the same person who insists that rubbing soap on my dishes is "safer" and "cleaner" than dipping them in cheese sauce.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

I mean other than the chemistry around the issue, it's obvious that one breaks down your teeth and the other stops it from happening. Or, one exacerbates it and the other slows it.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 5 days ago

I take it you brush your teeth during showering :)