By Sydney Keller ’14 | Associate Editor

Kimberly Barbour ’14 has had a passion for dentistry since performing tooth extractions on herself at the age of six, and will be attending University of Detroit Mercy’s seven year dentistry-program. For more on Barbour, see today’s print edition of the Tower.

How often do you brush/floss/rinse per day?

 “I have a timer and I do it for two minutes in the morning, two minutes at night, and a minute in the middle of the day,” said Barbour. “I floss twice a day, usually after lunch and before I go to bed. Mouth wash once a day, sometimes not. I don’t think that’s that important.”

Have you ever brushed at school?

“I don’t have as much time at lunch as I used to, but in middle school I would do it (brush) every single day before sixth hour,” said Barbour. “I had a little bag with a toothbrush, and mouthwash and toothpaste and floss and I would carry it with me everywhere I went, but I don’t do that anymore.”

Do you have any cavities?

“I do. But you know what, cavities pretty much revolve around genetics and it’s not that I didn’t take care of my teeth as a kid, it’s just that things happen,” said Barbour. “It’s genetic, it really is. Like some people don’t have any cavities and do not take as good of care of their teeth as I do, but that’s because they’ve got good genes.”

Electric or traditional toothbrush?

“Electric because it’s better. The vibrations in the electric really get down deep and you feel cleaner, I’m not even kidding,” said Barbour. “Like when I go on vacation, I don’t take my electric toothbrush and it’s a big difference on the cleanliness of your teeth.”

Do you have any precautions when eating or drinking certain foods?

“I use a straw when drinking super acidic things, or at least I try to,” said Barbour. “Like pop, Coca Cola is probably the worst thing you could ever do to your teeth because it’s crazy acidic. Any bubbly drink is really bad for your teeth because the carbon dioxide is very acidic which is bad for your enamel, but as long you take care of your enamel it shouldn’t be an issue. And the Coke also stains your teeth. Straws are best so you can bypass your teeth and go right into your body if you really are craving it.”

Do you have any pet peeves related to teeth?

“Oh my god, I’ll be here until midnight if I tell you all my pet peeves with teeth,” said Barbour. “Probably if I can tell you don’t take care of your teeth, it’s a really big issue. When there are things in people’s teeth, I guess. Or when there’s noticeable plaque problems, that bothers me. You know color of teeth is something you can’t really control. I mean you have a natural color and no matter how much you brush you’re going to revert to that color, depending on what you eat. So color I guess if it’s really noticeable.”

What kind of toothpaste do you use?

“I use Sensodyne Pronamel Whitening (toothpaste). It is great,” said Barbour. “Colgate’s good, I like Colgate. I hate Arm and Hammer, hate it, can’t stand it, never will use it. I like Crest Pro-health, but it makes your mouth taste funny after using it. Sensodyne Pronamel Whitening is really good, it’s good for your enamel which is important, you’ve got to keep that enamel up.”

What is an interesting dentistry fact?

“Dentists have the highest rate of suicide out of all professions,” said Barbour. “I’m going to turn that around! I don’t know (why the statistic exists). Like if you’re a doctor, often times you are working in a hospital. Dentists own their own practice and they usually have to deal with business things like anything having to go on with economics and the market.”