<story><title>Why we have so many problems with our teeth</title><url>https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-we-have-so-many-problems-with-our-teeth/</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>ip26</author><text>This has been popping up in the news periodically for a few years now. However, as a parent of young children, I&amp;#x27;m still trying to figure out the next step. That is, what to feed them that is nutritious, tasty, and also works the jaw. Raw carrots and overcooked meat are not tolerated for long.&lt;p&gt;Even if I don&amp;#x27;t serve them mush, al dente pasta and tender-cooked meats are quite soft. Home-made jerky and artisan-style bread (with a really tough crust) are the best I&amp;#x27;ve come up with so far.&lt;p&gt;I did have an insatiable desire to chew on gum for a year or so while a teenager. In retrospect I wonder if it was innate. Didn&amp;#x27;t save my wisdom teeth though.</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>abdullahkhalids</author><text>I don&amp;#x27;t know about cultural constraints, but as a kid, one my favorite parts of food was goat bone marrow. In South Asian goat curries, you add sliced-in-half bone. Getting the marrow out is a combination of sucking and biting and chewing, which helps a lot with Jaw strength.</text></comment>
<story><title>Why we have so many problems with our teeth</title><url>https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-we-have-so-many-problems-with-our-teeth/</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>ip26</author><text>This has been popping up in the news periodically for a few years now. However, as a parent of young children, I&amp;#x27;m still trying to figure out the next step. That is, what to feed them that is nutritious, tasty, and also works the jaw. Raw carrots and overcooked meat are not tolerated for long.&lt;p&gt;Even if I don&amp;#x27;t serve them mush, al dente pasta and tender-cooked meats are quite soft. Home-made jerky and artisan-style bread (with a really tough crust) are the best I&amp;#x27;ve come up with so far.&lt;p&gt;I did have an insatiable desire to chew on gum for a year or so while a teenager. In retrospect I wonder if it was innate. Didn&amp;#x27;t save my wisdom teeth though.</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>smithza</author><text>A parent of a youngin&amp;#x27; also, I am realizing there is balance needed. Technological prowess is part of the balance... we have orthodontic abilities to correct our teeth when tough food is lacking... and rub teeth with fluoride twice a day to help offset enamel breakdown.</text></comment>