I made an appointment to see the dentist, today.

I have a check-up every six months, because my teeth are bloody rubbish. And I’m sure that I’ll need some work doing when I go next week, because a bit broke off one of the back ones a few weeks ago.

Cost me a bloody fortune, they do!

I dunno why they give me so much trouble. I clean them twice a day and I don’t eat a lot of sweets or drink a great amount of sugary drinks.  Yes, I did when I was younger, but I doubt it was anymore than any of the other kids and maybe I’m paying the price for that, today.

But, whilst it’s obviously important to look after your teeth, I think that a lot of it is down to your forebears. If they had bad teeth and you inherit that particular family trait, then it doesn’t matter how much you keep them clean, they will deteriorate and give you grief.

I remember that my mother used to have a lot of problems with her teeth, and both her parents wore dentures, so I reckon that has been passed down to me. I’ve had so many fillings over the years, there’s probably more metal than enamel in my mouth!

Conversely, Mrs Masher’s parents both had good teeth, apparently, and this is a trait she has luckily inherited.  In her mid forties now, she has just one tiny filling in her mouth. She drinks Pepsi Cola like it’s going out of fashion (at least 2 litres a day!) and she only cleans her teeth once a day. Sometimes not even that much. Yet, her teeth are straight and strong and clean.  She went to the dentist this morning for a check-up – for the first time in three and a half years – and was told exactly that: her teeth needed no work at all. Not even a clean and polish. They were, to quote the dentist, “perfect”.

As Pam Ayres says, I wish I’d looked after me teeth, when I was younger, but I doubt it would have made that much difference. If you’ve inherited a bad set of gnashers, there’s little you can do about it.