Flap's Blog – FullosseousFlap's Dental Blog

This is what the Australian lingerie suppliers show with the latest figures (Via Rusty).

THE bra market is expanding, literally. Up to 40 per cent of Australian women now buy bras with a cup size of DD or higher, new figures from lingerie suppliers show.

In the 1950s, the most common bra-cup size was a B – three sizes less than a DD.

Modern breasts are getting so large that some bra companies have introduced cup sizes as high as K, The Sunday Telegraph reports.

Experts blame the cleavage boost on obesity, contraceptive pills and artificial hormones.

Myer lingerie buyer Kerryn Sawyer said sales of DD-plus bras have grown from about 20 per cent of sales to 28 per cent in just five years.

Many lingerie labels such as Berlei and Triumph are now offering G cups while Fayreform, Freya and Le Mystere are producing select styles up to a size J.

Berlei brand manager Jane Edser said the company’s range of bra styles, available in DD-plus, had, increased since 2005 from 75 per cent to 83 per cent, to cater for the growing market.

Bra company Eveden Australia launched a K cup into the market last year. The company’s fitting specialist, Victoria Jubb, said obesity contributed significantly to the expanding chest sizes but the number of small-figured women with large breasts was on the increase.

“We’re noticing a lot more girls with small backs and bigger bust sizes being fitted,” she said.

Eveden’s top-selling size is a 10G.

The obesity factor is definitely a bad statistic and the resulting lack of fitness for Australian women.

But, as for the aesthetics……

Something is definitely wrong in the United Kingdom and their nationalized/socialized dental health care system called the National Health Service Dentistry.

First, the dentists are complaining about a pay cut.

The national leaders of the UK’s general dental practitioners described as ‘derisory’ the 0.21 per cent increase in earnings awarded by the government following today’s recommendation of the
Review Body on Doctors’ and Dentists’ Pay. The Retail Prices Index is currently at 3.2 per cent-anything less than this is effectively a pay cut.

Chairman of the DPA Jim Donaldson BDS said “The DDRB seems to assume no responsibility for diffic
lties in NHS access. Year after year we have tried to explain to them that dentists are motivated to either join or leave the NHS based on comparison with similarly skilled groups and also the disparity in terms and conditions between the public and priv
te sectors. Pay is a vital element of the NHS package, yet year after year it is cut in real terms.

“The new contract is sufficiently unattractive and uncertain without this further clear signal that financial penalties are to be imposed year
fter year by below-inflation awards”.

President of the DPA Brian Levy BDS said “With the RPI at 3.2 per cent, this recommendation can only be viewed by NHS dentists as another pay cut. This will further reduce our members’ ability to accept an
treat NHS patients”.

Yet, UK patients are having probelms with access to patient care and affording it even should they find
a NHS dentist who will treat them.

Despite Government promises to improve access, research reveals that 35 per cent of adults are struggling to get the dental care they need – up from 23 per cent the year before.

In some
parts of the country, half the adults said they cannot see an NHS dentist – forcing them to go without treatment or to pay privately.

The credit crunch is also having an impact on the nation’s dental health.

The poll revealed that a
most 50 per cent of the population say they are put off going to the dentist over fears of the cost. Last year the figure was one in five.

Abby Bowman from Simplyhealth, the private dental provider which carried out the survey, said: ‘The NHS
ental contracts introduced three years ago were supposed to give more people access to dentists, but as our research shows this is only getting worse.’

So, the UK nationalized system has the worst of both worlds – cost and availability.
But, isn’t this the lesson of a price fixed system taught in basic economics?

And, the UK politicians, where do they stand while their own people are resorting to extracting their own teeth while continuing to pay high taxes for services they
annot obtain?

Well, Prime Minister Gordon Brown who opposes private medicine says – Let Them Eat Cake.

CHANCELLOR Gordon Bro
n came under fire last night after it was revealed he has been using a £100-an-hour private dentist. Mr Brown, a fierce opponent of private medicine, has been a regular patient at the exclusive London Centre for Cosmetic Dentistry.

It boasts a string of celebrity clients, including Oasis singer Liam Gallagher.

Just last week, as an estimated two million Britons continued to struggle without access to an NHS dentist, the Chancellor attended the clinic to undergo root canal treatment. Treated by the practice owner, Mervyn Drurian, he had two half-hour sessions t
clean out a dead nerve and cap one of his teeth.

The bill is expected to run into hundreds of pounds, once laboratory fees are added.

Astonishingly a spokesman for the Chancellor defended his decision to go private by blaming the current lack of NHS dentists available.

A spokesman said: “Using a private dentist is not the same as using a private doctor.

“Gordon is no different to the large number of people who have found themselves without an NHS dentist because he did not visit one regularly.

“If you have a toothache, you have to find a dentist quickly and to do that you have to go private. It is not like arranging an appointment with your GP. ”

Astonishingly?

No, not really.

The POLS know where to go for the best treatment and the peasants in their elite, socialized system can just “PISS OFF.”

So claims the Liberal Party in the United Kingdom.

Thousands of Britons are having teeth needlessly pulled out, it was claimed yesterday.

The number of extractions has soared by 30 per cent in four years, according to figures obtained by the Liberal Democrats.

The party claims this demonstrates how much dental care has deteriorated under Labour, leaving thousands missing out on treatment that could save their teeth. More than 175,000 Britons had their teeth extracted under general anaesthetic in 2007/08, up 40,000 on the 2003/04 figure, a parliamentary answer revealed.

If indeed true, is that what American dentistry has to look forward under an Obama socialized health care framework? Or is this indicative of only the botched National Health Service dentistry system of the United Kingdom?

Certainly, an extraction is cheaper than a root canal, build-up and crown but at what price to the person’s health and self-esteem? But, if the government is paying the price, should the people NOT pay for the cheapest of care?

Who will draw the line and make the decision as to who receives what? Hypocritical Prime Ministers?

The United Kingdom is painfully working its way out of socialism towards a private system for dentistry.

For now, they have the worst of both worlds.

The people should insist on immediate reform, transition towards private dentistry and a government safety net for the poor disabled and infirm.

It was bound to happen. President Barack Obama through his Secretary of Defense has begun reducing the defense budget, including national missile defense.

We will restructure the program to focus on the rogue state and theater missile threat.

We will not increase the number of current ground-based interceptors in Alaska as had been planned. But we will continue to robustly fund continued research and development to improve the capability we already have to defend against long-range rogue missile threats – a threat North Korea’s missile launch this past weekend reminds us is real.

We will cancel the second airborne laser (ABL) prototype aircraft. We will keep the existing aircraft and shift the program to an R&D effort. The ABL program has significant affordability and technology problems and the program’s proposed operational role is highly questionable.

We will terminate the Multiple Kill Vehicle (MKV) program because of its significant technical challenges and the need to take a fresh look at the requirement.

Overall, the Missile Defense Agency program will be reduced by $1.4 billion.

In other words, no new ground-based missiles for Alaska where there are already empty silos to base them. The ABL laser program has been almost killed (is on its way out the door) and the MKV program has been killed.

All this after North Korea tests a new ICBM missile which could threaten the Western United States.

Certainly, it could be said that I feel more unsafe today with Obama as my President.

Hello, New York Governor Rudy Giuliani.

New York State voters disapprove 60 – 28 percent of the job Gov. David Paterson is doing, the lowest approval ever for a New York Governor, and say 63 – 22 percent that he does not deserve to be elected to a full four-year term, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today.

Gov. Paterson’s approval is so low that he should announce now that he won’t run for election to a four-year term next year, 53 percent of voters tell the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University poll, while 39 percent say he can restore his reputation and should run next year. Even Democrats say 49 – 45 percent that he should drop out of the race now.

New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, with a near-record high 75 – 14 percent approval rating, tops Paterson in a Democratic primary 61 – 18 percent.

In a general election, Republican Rudolph Giuliani, the former New York City mayor, tops Paterson 53 – 32 percent.

Cuomo tops Giuliani 53 – 36 percent in a head-to-head matchup.

But, will Andrew Cuomo be persuaded to run?

Anyone want to be with these continuing poor poll numbers that President Obama appoints Paterson to some meaningless administration job thus clearing the path for Cuomo?

Or some other more popular Democrat?

And, will that in turn force Rudy from the race?

Stay tuned…..

So, did the Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen and Secretary General of NATO apologize to the Muslim World for newspaper cartoons?

You be the judge.

Exit question: If he REALLY means to apologize why would he have NOT done so many months ago and spared his country grief from business boycotts and protests?