Ziggy by Tom Wilson & Tom II for August 29, 2008

There is no wry humor in this cartoon. It is an attack on dentists… it isn’t humorous at all. Would you consider using the same “humor” towards an electrician, plumber, message therapist, optometrist, carpenter, chef, exercise trainer, etc? This cartoon questions the motivations of the entire dental profession… on what ground do you stand for making this attack? Would you find humor in someone saying the same about you because you make money creating cartoons? I’ll guess you’d say something like: ‘Yes, I get paid to create cartoons… so what? Is it surprising? Is there a problem?’

(yes… I am a dentist.)

Proper care of teeth includes: *Drinking Green Tea and never coffee. *Always including enough calcium and/or protein every time you eat anything so that your body will store minerals in the teeth rather than draining minerals from the teeth as happens with “just calories” eating. *Chewing food and not just eating soft foods, so as to give the jaws and teeth good exercise, which strengthens everything. *Once or more a day having real Licorice Root, either as a tea, chewed, or one of the new sugarless licorice root lolly-pops. *Getting at least two hours per day of sunshine and/or using the full sun spectrum light bulbs indoor, (see “Light and Health”, by James Ott if I remember correctly).

So, Mr. Anonymous Dentist: Are you at the very least making sure that each and every person whom you SERVE is told about each of these, and goes home with these simple and effective ways to take care of one’s own teeth properly? Oh? You say that these ways are too easy and effective? But you can easily learn to net fish and garden, and you’d have a cleaner conscience and boy would that save you some money! As we say, “”…and peace on earth to MenOfGoodWill.””

addendum: Licorice Root is proven to destroy bacteria of the mouth and teeth, so prevents tooth decay. ……. And I forgot completely to point out that removing the mercury laden fillings – and replacing them with one of the healthier filling choices available – allows the body to not have mercury thrown into it 24 hours a day, and a lot of people have found that they don’t lose work so much, and feel better besides. There is a lot of research on this.

When all dentists are legally required to at the least hand out a simple piece of paper with these useful facts on it, then American’s will be stronger, healthier, more often keep their teeth, and have more money. Bingo.

MrChips, I’d say yes, I would expect to see the same type of humor directed towards any other profession, including cartoonists. Poor Ziggy gets the worst possible EVERYTHING, including dentist.

CoronellaKeiper, I can tell you that dentists and hygienists have always spent time and effort educating patients on how to take care of themselves, with most emphasis on how to avoid the damage caused by bacterial plaque. A great majority of the need for dental treatment is a consequence of the chronic presence of bacterial plaque on the teeth and around the gums. BTW, dentists and hygienists charge zero for the time they spend teaching patients how to care for themselves and usually provide a toothbrush and floss and toothpaste for the same free price.

CoronellaKeiper, since you know exactly what everyone should know, why don’t you make sure to give everyone a copy of same? But if I were you, I’d mention “plaque removal” somewhere in there.

widjibeaker, I’ve seen many Ziggy cartoons about his visits to the dentist… but they were about Ziggy, not the dentist… I never felt attacked or insulted like I do this time. And I never noticed implications like this toward any other profession/occupation… why you refer to it as a “type of humor” I do not know. Ziggy is usually a victim of his own poor luck or circumstances or of someone’s sarcasm, etc… This one doesn’t read that way to me.

Well, I’ve gone to three dentists in one week, and they all tell me the same thing: this is what you NEED to do, but since you can only pay for this other thing…

I don’t think it’s an attack on dentists at all, and not just because I feel identified by it. It’s just a guy who knows his patient well enough.

Pokefan_Frank, I’ll bet those dentists spoke first about what was wrong, then about what choices there are for correcting the problem, and last allowed you to choose based on what you can afford. The cartoon dentist starts with money and that is NOT professional and does NOT depict real dentists. That is what bothers me… I guess it reflects Ziggy’s poor luck, but I think the depiction paints dentists in a bad (and untruthful) light.

MrChips no need to go overboard. It’s only a joke