Well Then!

Two dentist cleanings ago (so about this time last year?) the new-to-me hygenist mentioned that I had some staining on my teeth.  Now I'm not a coffee drinker, but I do drink decaf tea and I do not like the idea of my teeth being stained by that!

So I looked into it and people suggested drinking through a straw and I figured a metal straw would taste gross and a heat safe silicone straw was weird somehow (and maybe microplastics) so I got some glass straws for my tea. 

I asked my brother if his kids (teens) would like the extras (it was like a 12 pack or something, some straight, some with a bend) and he declined saying it was too much of a danger risk.

I thought this was odd as the girls seem old enough to deal with not dropping things or not stepping on broken glass but whatever.  I stored the extras away in a cupboard.

I've been happily using my glass straw for my tea and hopefully (she hasn't mentioned it again?) my teeth aren't having the same staining they used to....

But fast forward to yesterday.  I was (probably doom-) scrolling the interwebs and came across a story post (a video/reel/story/whatever) of a young lady in the back of an ambulance and she explained that they were taking her in for surgery as she'd swallowed something that morning and noticed her glass straw (!!!!) was missing a chunk.  A chunk of glass that she swallowed when it randomly, suddenly, unknowingly broke.

Um, yeah no.  I'm not doing that.  Nope.  Not risking that.  Nope.  Nuh uh.

I immediately ordered some silicone and some metal straws to try and if neither of them work for me flavour wise, I will go back to having mildly stained teeth rather than risk SWALLOWING GLASS SHARDS!!!!

So now I guess I understand where my brother was coming from... not a "drop on the floor" and break kind of concern, but a literal, having glass in your mouth that may break concern.  D'oh.

I just assumed they made them carefully enough that that wasn't a risk and maybe I bought the kind that are the lowest risk, but even if it's an overreaction I'm not willing to keep wondering and maybe playing with fire (glass) when there are other options and it's not a huge deal to try other things and not risk my internal health and organs.  You know?

So yeah... the *the more you know* logo can go here and I'm now recycling some glass straws. 

Grateful the story hit my feed and that I've been, knock on wood, so far really fine.  Maybe I'd continue to be just fine, but.... easy enough to make a different choice.  Thanks for looking out for me Universe!