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Deep Pencil - the musings of Morgan Bell

 
If a tree falls in the woods and nobody is there to hear it did it really make a sound? If i post a blog and nobody reads it was there really any point? You have entered the random thinking space of Morgan Bell . . . These are my musings . . . things about my life written off the top of my head . . . written in an informal disjointed style almost completely devoid of punctuation, this is where i flesh out writing ideas, discuss my life, and generally be self indulgent . . . it is also the bargain bin for articles which do not fit in with the film or arts themes of my other blogs . . . so have a wander around my mind, have a laugh, have a think, be nice, and humour me!

orange juice and toothpaste . . . bad combination!

July 29th 2008 07:52
have you ever wondered why orange juice tastes so awful if you drink it too soon after brushing your teeth?

many people bush their teeth in the morning before sitting down to breakfast and get a very unpleasant taste when they take a sip of their orange juice . . . these early morning brushers get a nasty shock and may commonly screw their faces up in disgust and say "YUCK!"

well i was watching a childrens TV science program which explained the chemical reasons behind this yucky taste and i was quite surprised!

i had always presumed it was a bad flavour combination related to toothpaste being minty menthol . . .

but no . . .

there is detergent in the toothpaste that numbs our sweet receptor taste buds!





99% of toothpastes contain a chemical called Sodium Lauryl Sulphate as a foaming agent so we can get a sense of satisfaction with a mouth full of lather . . . this is the same chemical that is used in shampoos, shaving foams, bubble baths, fiber therapy caplets, and some dissolvable aspirins . . . the same chemical that is used in industrial products including engine degreasers, floor cleaners, and car wash soaps

Sodium Lauryl Sulphate thickens, foams, and lathers . . . but at the same time suppresses the sweet receptors on the tongue . . .when these sweet sensors are de-activated (or impaired) only the bitter tastes become detectable in orange juice

since the sweetness in oranges disguises the bitter and sour flavours caused by their citric acid, the absence of sweetness will enhance the bitterness and sourness naturally present in your typical glass of OJ . . . your toothpaste just removes the sugary mask

our tongues have have four traditional areas that are sensitive to sweet, sour, bitter and salt with the sweet part being right at the front of your tongue . . . swilling detergent affects the buds closest to the front of the tongueand turns our brekky sour!








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Comments
36 Comments. [ Add A Comment ]

Comment by Louie

July 29th 2008 08:00
wow, I always wondered about this......



Comment by Morgan Bell

July 29th 2008 08:40
hi Louie,
im getting into my afternoon kids shows! haha
they are so informative!
its a show called "Scope" on Channel Ten which explains everyday science to the little kiddies (like me! lol) and is hosted by this mad-capped doctor from the CSIRO
Really Long Link

Comment by AmyHuang

July 29th 2008 09:28
ah! That's why you should rinse and gargle with water first before you brush your teeth Helps a bit hehe.

Comment by Morgan Bell

July 29th 2008 09:37
hi Amy Huang,
thats a good suggestion!
its weird to think we are brushing our teeth with something like shampoo or shaving cream! haha

Comment by alt_ed

July 29th 2008 10:08
haha OMG Morgan, that's so weird!

I don't really drink orange juice, but it might explain why my ribena tastes so foul of a morning haha


Comment by Morgan Bell

July 29th 2008 10:17
hi alt_ed,
haha i didnt know ribena had bitter notes, but i guess that makes sense!
it might also explain why i am developing an aversion to toothpaste!

Comment by alt_ed

July 29th 2008 10:20
Um Morgan... what developing? I'd say your aversion is a full blown oral cleansing phobia (no puns)!

I'm going to make mumma M wash your mouth out with soap so watch out lol

Comment by Morgan Bell

July 29th 2008 10:24
haha alt_ed,
well basically brushing your teeth IS washing your mouth out with soap!

Comment by Cheryl J

July 29th 2008 10:33
Ugh, I'm putting Sodium Lauryl Sulphate in my mouth - eeeuw gross. That's like brushing with shampoo!

You should stop using conditioner, stop plucking you eyebrows and get your own science show and become the female Professor Julius Sumner Miller for the new millenium. You are probably too young to remember him but he was responsible for the catchphrase "but why is this so?" and many a pissed off milkman when all of us kids watching him on TV did the old light a match and suck an egg into a milk bottle experiment



He always looked like a totally mad professor.

PS: Now you have to come up with an alternative for me to brush my teeth or I'm going to have nightmares haha

Comment by Morgan Bell

July 29th 2008 10:44
hi Cheryl,
apparently there is still the 1% of toothpastes which dont contain detergent . . . but dont ask me the brand names! haha
there were studies into whether Sodium Lauryl Sulphate causes the mouth ulcers we all experience!

i would like nothing more than to be a mad professor with my own TV show!

Comment by Cheryl J

July 29th 2008 11:16
Ack, I'm so grossed out I'm going to have to find out now if it's in my Colgate Advanced Whitening Tartar Control supercalafragalistic toothpaste.

Don't forget if you do the mad professor show you have to have Helena Bonham Carter hair and wear your specs. Developing a nice mad laugh would help too

Comment by Morgan Bell

July 29th 2008 11:45
oh Cheryl,
im sure its not that bad it will kill you! haha (i hope)
i googled to see what products dont contain the evil agent

Which Sensodyne formulations do not contain sodium lauryl sulfate?

The following Sensodyne formulas do not contain sodium lauryl sulfate: Sensodyne-F Brilliant Whitening with potassium nitrate, and Sensodyne Original with strontium chloride.

a hippy website had some herbal toothpastes made out of salt and peppermint oil . . . sounds quite bohemian!

it wont take much for me to get my Helana Bonham Carter hair on for the purposes of mad scientistry!
i actually perfected a witches cackle years ago to match my hair . . . come to think of it Helena has really forged a career out of playing roles that were perfect for me!

Comment by RubySoho

July 29th 2008 14:08
Well that's all well and good Morgan, but did you know abortion is a crime against humanity?

YOU NAZI!

p.s i seem to have misplaced my 'cloak of martyrdom'. If anyone has seen it, please scoot it over to thought zone. I promise to refrain from manipulating your inner prejudices until oh until my next evil, extremist post goes up.

Cue evil laugh.

Bahahahahaha!



Comment by Morgan Bell

July 29th 2008 14:20
hi Ruby,
BAHAHAHahahaha ahhh that was gold!
i knew toothpaste must be related to abortion and nazis somehow! haha i just KNEW IT!
but then again, isnt everything these days?
with this amount of evil laughing (and your world domination) we should easily be able to take childrens everyday science by storm . . . imagine how many young minds we could warp then!

Comment by alt_ed

July 29th 2008 14:27
Sorry Ruby, I borrowed your cloak, but honestly i didn't think you'd mind (And i promise to have it dry cleaned)...

It looks like Raven might be needing his own cloak soon enough haha...

Um Cheryl- Sucked in! I've been using sensodyne for ages!!! (but now i am back at square one as to why my Ribena tastes funny) hmmm...

Urh and Morgan, what a pitty u shaved your legs-- No ones going to believe your a mad scientist with silky smooth legs, god, you won't even pass for an progressive feminist if you keep adhering to these sorts of beauty standards my my!

Comment by Morgan Bell

July 29th 2008 14:40
hi alt-ed,
perhaps your ribena tastes funny because you have brushed all the enamel off your teeth and your gums are bleeding into your glass of syrup? hahaha
dont tell people i have silky smooth legs, people will think i want a frat boy to rape me! haha

Ruby and alt_ed, you are both abominations!

wicked abominations . . .

Comment by ChrisC

July 29th 2008 14:40
Say what?
People clean their teeth BEFORE breakfast?!!
I always thought you ate, then cleaned the food off your teeth after the eating thing.
Man, my parents have a lot of explaining to do...

Comment by Morgan Bell

July 29th 2008 14:45
hi ChrisC,
i know, we did it the other way round in our house too!
although i still know the sensation of toothpaste quickly followed by orange juice . . . maybe i was having orange juice for brunch, or supper, or something equally strange!

Comment by ChrisC

July 29th 2008 14:56
hello
Toothpaste and beer is another fun combo. hey, maybe that's why you should never have a drink straight after breakfast!
and just "Chris" is fine!

Comment by Morgan Bell

July 29th 2008 15:03
hello Chris,
yeah toothpaste and beer is not good . . . and once again im wondering why i know this? haha
i imagine i brush my teeth immediately before going out, and have a beverage as soon as i hit the venue!
i have known many people who drink beer (or wine) early in the day, but the idea of it makes me wince myself, im definately not a "hair of the dog" sort of girl!

Comment by Summer Minor

July 29th 2008 15:09
Now see, the hippie in me is glad that I use baking soda rather than toothpaste. Hmmm, I wonder if that's part of the evil world domination plot?

Comment by Single Fat Chick

July 29th 2008 17:34
Very interesting article! Thanks for sharing!!

Comment by Morgan Bell

July 29th 2008 17:38
hi Summer,
wow you really use baking soda?
you are so ahead of the trend!
geez you ladies and your world domination plots, i hope you have a nice cloak too!


hi Single Fat Chick,
thanks for stopping in and leaving a comment!

Comment by Mr Nice Guy

July 30th 2008 01:30
Baking soda is such an old solution and I remember being told by my grandmother was used well before the war (WWII).

in fact most people used a combo of salt and baking soda to clean their teeth during the war years - probably explains why so many had dentures in later years as the combo probably wore away the enamel.

Bit like Chris though - why would you brush before breakfast?

Interesting though.

Stay well

Comment by Sara Dobson

July 30th 2008 03:41
why would you brush your teeth before breakfast anyway? Wouldn't it be better to do it after you have eaten?

Comment by Smooth Political

July 30th 2008 06:16
Great article. Lots of interesting facts.

Comment by Morgan Bell

July 30th 2008 11:24
hi MNG,
ahh the baking soda is a frugal/thrifty WW2 thing!
im surprised my parents dont use it!


hi Sara,
yes it does sound odd . . . however for some reason (perhaps for own oddness) i have done it in the reverse!


hi Smooth Political,
thanks for stopping by!


hi Peter Yang,
thanks buddy!

Comment by Wilson Pon

July 30th 2008 12:02
Yuck, I'm an old-fashioned person and I won't put myself in testing those new products (The main reason is I don't want to be a white mice!)

I would rather preferred the mint flavor toothpaste than others..

Comment by Morgan Bell

July 30th 2008 13:08
hi Wilson,
i like my toothpaste minty too!

Comment by Anonymous

July 30th 2008 14:40
Just so you know, there are sweet, sour, etc receptors all over the tongue. It is a myth that they are completely localized. Take a pipet and drip .5ml of Coke on your tongue in all of the supposed different receptor areas. You will taste the drink in all five areas.

Also, there are five taste sensations.... the last is called Umami. More or less it is a taste receptor for amino acids (and therefore proteins). This would come in handy for being able to detect foods that have a lot of energy.

Comment by Morgan Bell

July 30th 2008 16:06
hi Anonymous,
thanks for the info!
beyond the "traditional" four tastes i have seen umami, kokumi, metallic, and fattiness listed as different tastes . . . its amazing how many new things scientists discover!
i think with the "tongue map" they discovered that each bud has the ability to identify all tastes but with variations in sensation across the different areas

Comment by Jason King

July 31st 2008 05:33
WOW
Bizarre - that is SO true
But I love drinking my tea or coffee after brushing!

Comment by Morgan Bell

July 31st 2008 06:21
hi Jason,
oh dear, coffee would be pretty bitter if your sweet sensors were temporarily out of action!

Comment by Norm

August 1st 2008 00:06
I've heard that there's plastic in toothpaste that coats and protects the teeth.
My hearing is not so god though.
As for my smelling....

Have you seen Marathon Man?
It has a Nazi dentist scene...




Comment by Morgan Bell

August 1st 2008 02:47
hi Norm,
i know a Nazi must have something to do with toothpaste!
im surprised we all dont bake glad wrap on to our teeth to prevent cavities . . . but then what would the dentists have to do?

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