Man was I excited after our debate on Thursday so much talking about mind-body splits going on
Just this past weekend, I was visiting my boyfriend in Maryland with his family. His mom is a
dentist and provided me with a perfect example of Decartes Mind-
Body dualism. While trying to suck up to my boyfriends mom I found myself discussing cosmetic dentistry…
right down the alley of interests for a communications major.
Anyways, She shared a story about a patient who had decided that she no longer felt the need to brush her
teeth…nasty. Gross right? She was so fixated on this practice. My boyfriends mother being a successful and
well known dentist did everything she could to influence the woman to keep good dental hygiene. This is a
perfect example of Mind-Body dualism. We have discussed in class many times about people hacking their
legs off or hacking their nose off because they simply do not like them anymore. The patient’s mind was
convinced that brushing her teeth was not natural, but her body was now put at extremely high risk for tooth
discoloring, gum cancer, and enamel decay. She thought that since in classical times Colgate was not
available…or much less invented. It was not necessary to brush. In an effort to prove to this woman’s mind,
my boyfriend’s mom and her surrounding dental hygienists used science and proven facts to convince this
woman that her mind was in the wrong and that she should listen to her body.
The experience of Mind-Body dualism can lead to self-destruction if you do not have someone
watching out for you. In the patient’s case, her mind did not overpower her body because of proven
scientific facts and professionals in the field of dentistry. Science 1, Mind 0, just in time before some serious
dental emergencies like tooth extractions. Yes, it is amazing all the complicated terminology you can learn
while at dinner with a dentist!
Nikki, I like that you bring the idea of dental hygiene up. I have a friend who is similar to the woman who thought she didn't need to brush her teeth. They are similar because my friend also does not brush his teeth.
ReplyDeleteOne day he was explaining his reasoning behind it. He said that when he was younger he did not brush his teeth and in turn ended up getting a very bad case of gingivitis. He continued not brushing his teeth and said his gingivitis went away UNTIL he had a girlfriend that would not kiss him unless he brushed his teeth.
Of course he started brushing his teeth if it meant he was going to be kissed. Unfortunately, his gingivitis came back once he started brushing again and so he stopped brushing AGAIN (he and his girlfriend ended up breaking up for reasons other than him not brushing his teeth). His gingivitis has not come back since.
So, his REASONING is that his body/mouth was used to the germs that were produced and eventually became strong enough to fight off the bad bacteria. Is this possible? I don't know, but to him he proved science to be false.
I cannot say I believe his story, but that is because I am a whole hearted advocate when it comes to a healthy MOUTH aiding in having a healthy body (because science has proved this). A little side note, while he was telling me his story he was picking his teeth with a tooth pick. He does this almost constantly. Since picking one's teeth is some sort of cleaning, perhaps that keeps the gingivitis from forming. Who knows!