MUSIC FEATURE: KLAXONS

MUSIC FEATURE: SAM SMITH

Sam Smith's album, In the Lonely Hour, will be released in the US in a few days. However, you can listen to it on NPR First Listen RIGHT NOW. With that being said, I have been hooked onto this album for a week now. Beginning with his hit single, Money on My Mind, Smith uses his strong, soulful vocals to declare that he "[does] it for the love" above everything else. This message is similar to Price Tag's, the hit single from fellow Brit Jessie J. Building off the money<love message, in Leave Your Lover, he croons that he doesn't "[he] doesn't care for gold, what use is money when you need someone to hold?"

The theme of this album focuses on the unrequited nature of love, from not being able to obtain it because the person you're in love with is unavailable to the inability to find love yourself. I was not surprised by the theme because of Smith's comment stating that this album revolved around his personal struggle of falling in love with a dude who didn't love him back, but I was pleasantly surprised by the overall tone of this album. From his features in Disclosure's Latch to La La La, I was expecting it to be more upbeat and heavy with vocal tweaking.

Some of the lyrics get a bit lazy throughout the album, but the choruses are generally nice and put together. There weren't many vocal embellishments that triggered any grievances besides the siren wailings in the first track.

Money on My Mind is my least favorite track on the album; it's heavy on voice alteration that doesn't suit Smith's natural voice - by that, why does his voice sound like a siren? The other songs are A+ beautiful, ending with Lay Me Down, my favorite track from his EP. I would say this version of the song is a pretty balanced mix between the origin and the acoustic versions found on his EP. Also, my favorite track from this album is Not in That Way.


WILL LOVE BE MUTUAL FOR SMITH? Maybe in his next album. On a more personal note, I feel like a broken person when I listen to this album, being fully able to grasp his lyrics and the milieu set off by his voice. I'm very excited to hear what his future albums will sound like, though I am very please with his debut.

What to Eat For Your Teeth

I've mentioned previously the connection between oral health and overall health - your nutrition is extremely importantly for the maintenance of both. It's easy to eat whatever you want, especially if you live in a dorm and the cafeteria is your oyster. If you're the type of person who exercises in order to cancel out the amount of calories you ate, then you probably justify eating whatever you want in order to feel great and look great. I was in that same boat until I decided that being healthy means exercise, nutrition, and productivity; don't let exercise replace nutrition! I swear eating healthy and exercising makes you feel great/look great as well!

Here are some food options to keep in mind when you're deciding what to snack on/eat for meal. Do this for your health, and do it for your teeth!

The best food choices for your mouth include: cheese, chicken (meat), nuts, and milk. These are thought to protect the enamel of your tooth by providing CALCIUM and PHOSPHOROUS needed to remineralize the teeth. As a vegetarian, the meat option is out, and I'm not much of a milk drinker, but I'm trying to change... for my teeth. I've always been a huge carbohydrate/starch person, but I'm trying to cut down on the amount of pasta and potatoes I eat...for my teeth.

Other food choices: firm/crunchy fruit (apples/pears/etc) and vegetables. These foods are high in water content, which dilutes the effects of the sugar that they contain + they stimulate the flow of saliva! Citric fruits (tomatoes/lemons) are to be eaten in moderation with other foods to minimize the acid from them that wear away the enamel.

Avoid: candy, cookies, cakes, pies, breads ( :( ) , muffins, potato chips, pretzels, french fries, bananas, raisin, and other dried fruits. These foods have a large content of sugar, catalyzing ample residences for bacteria which lead to cavities.

DRINKS: h2o, milk, and unsweetened tea. Be sure to minimize the amount of sugar you add into your tea/coffee your teeth or go black! Try it first and then gradually build up from there. I've been drinking black coffee/unsweetened tea my entire life, and maybe it's just my preference because I don't like sweet drinks, but it gets the job done. I drink coffee purely for the caffeine, though tea is more of an enjoyable experience for me.

ALSO, remember continuous drinking/eating is worse than one-time drinking/eating when it comes to sugar-y foods, because you're prolonging the time that your teeth are exposed to bacteria. So, if you're going to eat sugar-y things, binge binge binge once, wait thirty minutes, and then brush your teeth! Okay, so that's probably not the best advice, but if you're going to do it.. might as well do it right? Am I right?

Avoid artificial sweeteners. Here's more taken from Delta Dental! 

The “good guys” in fighting tooth decay

• Fiber-rich fruits and vegetables: Foods with fiber stimulate saliva flow, which is a natural defense against cavities. Not only does saliva wash away food particles and clean your mouth, about 20 minutes after you eat something, saliva begins to neutralize the acids attacking your teeth. Crisp fruits and vegetables like apples, carrots and celery not only help stimulate saliva flow, but also help clean plaque from teeth and freshen breath.
• Cheese, milk, plain yogurt and other dairy products: The calcium, phosphates and vitamin D in cheese, milk and other dairy products are important minerals for the health of your teeth. Your teeth are made mostly of calcium, and without enough in your diet, you risk developing tooth decay and other problems. An added benefit is that the calcium in these foods mixes with plaque and sticks to teeth, protecting them from acids that cause decay and helping to rebuild tooth enamel on the spot. Worried you won’t get enough calcium because you are allergic to milk or just don’t like the taste? There are many calcium-fortified juices, soy milks and other foods available that can supply as much calcium to your diet as milk does.
• Sugarless chewing gum: Chewing sugar-free gum after meals and snacks can help rinse harmful acid off your teeth to help you preserve tooth enamel. But be sure it’s sugarless! Chewing gum containing sugar may actually increase your chances of developing a cavity. Sugarless gum containing xylitol, which has been shown to have decay-preventive qualities, may even have an added benefit. Research indicates that xylitol most likely inhibits the growth of Streptococcus mutans, the oral bacteria that cause cavities.
• Green and black teas: Tea contains compounds that interact with plaque and either kill or suppress bacteria, preventing them from growing or producing tooth-attacking acid. This not only helps to prevent cavities, but also reduces inflammation and the chances of gum disease. Depending on the type of water you use to brew your tea, a cup of tea can also be a source of fluoride. Just remember: don’t add sugar to your tea.
• Water with fluoride: Fluoridated drinking water, or any product you make with fluoridated water, helps your teeth. This includes powdered juices (as long as they don’t contain a lot of sugar) and dehydrated soups. Bottled drinking water may not contain as much fluoride as water from the tap, so if this is your main source of water, be sure that you use fluoridated toothpaste and ask your dentist about fluoride supplementation.

The “bad guys” in fighting tooth decay

• Sugary candies and sweets that stay in your mouth: If you eat sweets, go for those that clear out of your mouth quickly. Those that stick around — lollipops, caramels, jelly beans and hard candies — make it difficult for saliva to wash the sugar away. Snacks like cookies, cakes or other desserts contain a high amount of sugar, which can cause tooth decay. If you eat foods like these, it's best to eat them as dessert after a main meal instead of several times a day between meals. Whenever you eat sweets — in any meal or snack — brush your teeth well with fluoride toothpaste afterward.
• Starchy, refined carbohydrates: Foods such as chips, bread, pasta or crackers can be as harmful to the teeth as candy. Starches made from white flour are simple carbohydrates and can linger in your mouth and then break down into simple sugars. Bacteria feed on these sugars and produce acid, which causes tooth decay.
• Carbonated soft drinks: Not only does regular soda contain a high amount of sugar, both regular and diet sodas also contain phosphorous and carbonation, which wear away the enamel on your teeth (causing them to become stained and brown). Many energy drinks and bottled iced teas and lemonades also contain high amounts of sugar and may contain acids that wear away tooth enamel. If you regularly consume soda, you should use a straw to keep it from having too much contact with your teeth.
• Fruit juice: Although fruit is an important part of a healthy diet, fruit juice can cause problems for your teeth. Whole fruits have fiber and are a less concentrated source of sugar (and sometimes acids). In addition, juices sometimes have sugar added to them, which can be even more damaging to your teeth. If you regularly drink fruit juices, you should use a straw to keep them from having too much contact with your teeth.
• Lemons, citrus fruits and other acidic foods: It’s OK to eat these kinds of foods, but don’t suck on them or keep them in your mouth for a long period of time. The acidic juice in these foods can erode the enamel of your teeth. Citrus fruits and foods with tomatoes (including pizza, soup and pasta sauce), pickles, honey and wine can all be damaging to your teeth if they are consumed too often or held in the mouth for too long.