Odd that - my dentist advises a soft brush, especially on the gums.

I did some DIY dentistry once whilst on a week long Storytelling residency far from home and a filled molar split one night on a Werther's Original, causing it to catch on my tongue whilst telling the library the following day. During the break I nipped into the loo where I pulled the two bits out with my trusty pin-head pliers and when I got back home my dentist applauded me for a job well done.

I reckon teeth are conclusive proof that there is no God, much less intelligent design. One theory has it that one of the reasons humans suffer so many problems in this respect is that our jaws have evolved these past 50,000 years or so to favour language over dental health. Thus does Nurture triumph over Nurture - at our expense of course...

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Private Eye occasionally reminds us of the popular misconception (an urban myth in itself surely?) that Oh, I Wish I looked After Me Teeth comes from the pen of Alfred, Lord Tennyson.