Aggressive Tooth Brushing...wah??

Ever notice gaps in your understanding of life? That is when you suddenly discover something that it seems everyone else knew about but you somehow missed? Does this happen to everyone?

Here are a couple of occasions when I have been merrily going through life only to find certain information was kept hidden from me for years.

The Beavers: I went through life, right up until my mid-30s, thinking that Beavers were the size of large rats. I'd seen them on TV, knew they built complex dams and gnawed down trees. I knew all of that. I just assumed they worked in large groups and that building a dam involved an awful lot of teamwork, as did the gnawing through the trunks of small trees. I knew they were a huge part of the early fur trade in Canada...I just assumed that many, many pelts were sewn together to make a coats etc. I made all the facts fit into my incorrect assumption which did not change for many years. Interesting. It only changed when, in conversation, I mentioned something about how many beavers hunters would have to collect in order to trade and make something. "Hang on," said the person I was talking to (finally cluing in), "how big do you think beavers are?" 
Me: "Errr...about the size of large rats...aren't they?"
Him: "HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"
Cue beaver paradigm shift.

Defrosting chicken breasts: you can thaw chicken under warm running water or put it in warm water. It will defrost really quickly. Obvious!! But I didn't find this out until someone mentioned it a few years ago. Admittedly, I was a vegetarian for many years. But still, I was leaving the chicken out until it had completely defrosted...it was taking ages. I had to change recipes and find alternatives because the chicken breast wasn't defrosted in time. Why didn't I know the warm water thing?

And here's a new one...

Aggressive Tooth Brushing. It's really bad. It can do this to your teeth. (Not my tooth, incidentally)

And once your gums have receded they are GONE FOREVER. No amount of crying and retro-active laid back brushing is going to get them back. If you want them back you have to have a soft tissue skin graft or something. What the???? Does everyone else know this? If so, why didn't anyone mention it? Why hasn't one single dentist in all my 40 years of going to the dentist, ever said anything. "Brush regularly, floss every day...oh...and never brush aggressively with abrasive toothpaste". Is that so hard? (A while back I was using toothpaste that actually had what seemed like grit in it!) I have always brushed aggressively...I thought you were supposed to. I discovered this information, by accident, the other day. I noticed that the gum of one of my front incisors (that is capped) was receding. "Ugh," I thought to myself, "better brush it harder." Then later I decided to consult Dr. Google. Hey presto...there was the culprit: "Aggressive tooth brushing!" Seems it's common knowledge. But I never heard of it. For goodness sake! Using too much toothpaste, especially whitening toothpaste, or toothpaste with baking soda, (yeah...the type I've used for years) and using a firm toothbrush basically wears down your teeth and gums and causes permanent damage. Talk about closing the gate after the horse has bolted.

This is further evidence, as if any were needed, that we are regularly abducted by aliens. It is during these abductions that we miss out on bits and pieces of common knowledge. When we are put back on earth there are small pieces of information missing from our consciousness. Obvious, isn't it?