If you listen to the Joe Rogan Experience (JRE) Podcast long enough (I’ve been a fan for many years), you will notice a particular theme that keeps popping up—life optimization.
Joe comes at it from many different angles—fitness, diet, mixed martial arts, stand up comedy, hunting, pool (billiards), family, friendships, etc. Joe is so passionate about life optimization that he will, every now and then, call out his friends on the podcast. A few examples.
He told Brendan Schaub (a UFC heavyweight at the time) to move on from fighting. He told Duncan Trussell (stand up comedian) to start working out. He told Cameron Hanes (professional hunter) to quit his 9 to 5 job (not related to hunting). None of those conversations were particularly comfortable to watch, but Joe is too passionate and caring to not say anything.
I love Joe’s focus on life optimization, but unfortunately, that focus does not extend to at least one thing—optimizing dental health.
He wrote a blog post many years ago detailing his experience with a severely decayed, infected tooth. The tooth would eventually need a root canal (after a round of antibiotics) to be saved.
Later in the blog post, Joe mentions discovering a new found respect for dental hygiene. So if you combine Joe’s passion for life optimization and the experience described above, you would probably guess that Joe is now the poster boy for optimizing dental health. Well……
Not quite. I’ve heard him say a few things in recent years that would say the opposite. Here are two examples.
Flossing. Joe has mentioned, more than once, that he does not floss. Flossing is essentially “brushing where your toothbrush cannot reach”. If you are not flossing, you are not fully brushing.
Braces. Joe mentioned on the podcast that his dentist recommended he get braces (probably the clear, removable type). He dismissed it as ridiculous and childish. And went on to say he didn’t really care how his crooked teeth looked.
“Braces” (a.k.a. orthodontics) goes way beyond just looks. It also has a lot to do with optimizing function (speech, sleep, breathing, ability to maintain oral hygiene and so on).
Joe’s podcast has a HUGE number of listeners, so it’s very unfortunate that he has this view on dental health optimization. Joe is an open minded guy, so I hope his view will change in the future.
If you need advice on how to throw a side kick or how to construct a joke, then Joe is your man. But if you need advice on how to optimize your dental health, don’t listen to Joe. Go see your dentist.
Mark Frias, RDH
With Joe being an open-minded guy and you being such a big fan of his podcast, have you ever considered contacting him about this issue? He might even end up deciding to talk with you about it on his podcast. Now, that would raise oral health awareness!
I’ve thought about it, but I don’t think I would be the ideal guest. If he did contact me I would refer him to Dr. Alan Mead or Dr. Michae Barr for potential guests.
I think you should try to get on his podcast and promote awareness
Being a fellow hygienist, you would have to hit Joe where he is passionate… Research. There has been research for over 30 years that oral health is linked to overall health. Gum disease is directly related to heart disease, arthritis, Alzheimer’s, ERECTILE DISFUNCTION and I can go in. I currently take plaque sampling and evaluate it under a microscope. I find very high risk bacteria, parasites and STD’s from millimeters under patients gums; that have the potential to get into the bloodstream. Maybe Joe should do some of his own research. And as far as ortho…. We can wait until his teeth start breaking down and chipping for him to realize it’s not aesthetics we dental professionals are worried about… it’s the function……