No wooden toothpicks for this chap

DEAR DR. GOTT: As a child I frequently suffered from mouth sores. By chance I chewed on a wooden fork while eating French fried potatoes at age 12. (I am now 70.) The following day I had about 20 sores in my mouth near my lips.

Although no doctor then, or now, believed wooden utensils, tongue depressors or any other treated wood products put in the mouth caused these sores, I religiously made sure I did not use them. I didn’t have a sore again until I was 35.

I was at a function where chicken was served on wooden skewers. I carefully removed the skewer and ate the chicken. Two days later I had about 100 sores in my mouth and down my throat. I was in agony. My dentist helped [Read more...]