In the evolutionary mindset, tooth decay due to bacterial action is a normal part of the "survival of the fittest" mentality.
In the creationist mindset however, it is recognized that in the beginning, there was no tooth decay nor plaque nor gum-rot, and the question is raised, "Why not? What prevented these things? Can we restore that state?"
I suspect that in the beginning, bacteria in human mouths functioned as a cleaner of teeth and restorer of tooth enamel. When the Fall occurred, that bacteria "devolved" to become a producer of plaque and tooth-rot.
If we were to put resources into researching how to turn bacteria back to their original purpose, we might just put Crest and dentists out of business. Just think, no more fighting with your kids to get them to brush their teeth; no more need to floss.
I suspect it's possible. But as long as the research dollars are being poured into the labs of scientists who don't believe bacteria ever had such a role and never will, then this suspicion will not likely ever be confirmed.
Philosophical foundations matter when doing science. I believe the wrong philosophical foundation has had a stranglehold on research for the past 50 years, and as a result, I'm still having to floss.
And wear glasses.
Pfft.
1 comment:
After writing this blog entry, I came across an article that had this interesting thing to say (http://creationsafaris.com/crev201001.htm#20100119a):
Perhaps the needle pumps in bacteria and the genetic modification mechanisms in viruses had a good function originally. The fact that the vast majority of these microbes are beneficial lends credence to the idea; an article on Science Daily said that the same bacterium responsible for stomach ulcers may protect against tuberculosis. This could indicate that microbes can offset one another and perhaps have gotten out of balance. Some theologians might wonder if the spiritual forces of Satan’s dominion have limited ability to turn parts of nature against itself – not to exercise creative power, but like the disasters in the Book of Job, to take existing forces of nature (fire, whirlwinds) and turn them against man. They would be analogous to hackers who take existing computers and networks and turn them into weapons of harm.
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