Posted on 01/24/2006 3:11:50 AM PST by nyscof
Some studies have shown that the bacteria that causes most cavities (Streptococcus mutans) is transferred in saliva from mother to child in the first 2-3 years of his life. If a mother doesn't have cavities, she's less likely to transfer the bad bacteria to her children.
So, if that bacteria problem can be eradicated, perhaps by the introduction of "good bacteria" or a vaccine, cavities will decline across the population.
Eliminate the bacteria and you eliminate an entire industry. Kinda like the tobacco industry.
Treat the symptoms and not eradicate the cause keeps a lot of folks in business.
I got a study from my state a couple of years ago. I forget the exact numbers right now, but approx. half of the counties in the state had more flouride naturally occuring in the groundwater than is added artificially in other places. There were a couple of counties that had high enough flouride to cause stained teeth. It makes me wonder about the all the fuss.
Toothpaste and floride treatments you spit out. There is a special 'baby' toothpaste sold in the stores. I asked my dentist if I should brush my babies teeth with regular kids floride paste or use the special baby paste and he said we should use baby paste because babies do not spit out the toothpaste like older kids and adults. Well, guess what. I DON'T SPIT OUT MY WATER AFTER I DRINK IT, EITHER.
I just have to look at my own family. Same nutrition, same dental care but my brother that inherited my mom's teeth (saliva?) has a mess to deal with. The rest of us who took after dad's and produce very little plaque and have great teeth.
Nutrition has a lot to do with it. I just look at my European relatives who were kids during WWII. Yuck! Their kid's teeth are fine.
Does this mean the left has inherited the ancient fluoride issue? Will we see Greenpeace start bombing water purification plants?
You can ID someone that was raised in Andrews, Texas by the bar across their two front teeth.
Floride seems to be a Texas thing.
**note to self: when typing while on the phone, click the Spell tab before posting.
We have well water and my pediatrician asked if we wanted to get flouride drops 4 years ago. I said no. Now the dentist is after us. I have been telling them no too. Thank goodness I researched this earlier, but it is always nice to get confirmation of the decision, this is overwhelming though.
Sounds like a good basis for a Monty Python skit involving roving gangs of dentists.
By the way, my sisters and I were raised with well water and I think that my sisters each have one cavity. I have none.
This is absolute bunk... having lived in a place that has floridation and a place that didn't, I can tell you unequivacably it works. I never saw children with false teeth and fillings in areas I have lived with floridation.. but when I lived in a place that didn't.... it was very very common among young kids to have major teeth problems, and not only that ever Dentist in the area wanted to Floride Treatment every kid because they knew their teeth were softer...
Our dentist there openly couldn't believe how good our son's teeth were, of course we had just moved to the area from an area that did florinate.
The anti-floride crowd is the ALF-ELF of the dental health field... sort of the parents that will feed their kids soy nonsense.
The level of floride in drinking water is FAR FAR FAR lower than what is put into toothpaste... apples and oranges.
Fluoride and dental hygiene are overhyped in my opinion......... (^/^)
Gotta go to the dentist now, I swallowed my temporary crown this past weekend and she says I have to have another one to protect the post till my permanent crown comes in........cha ching!
This is anectodal evidence that you would reject if used were used to support nutritional supplements. I grew up in a non-flouridated town, and the teeth were fine. Only closet socialists want the government to medicate drinking water.
Yea, ok.. and Homogenization and Pasteurization and Vitamin D added to milk, and Iondine added to salt are all great and grand conspiracies...
Please, when the dentists in the area where non floridation tell you point blank that their kids have more teeth issues than kids from areas that floridate, its not anectdotal evidence... your single case is anectdotal.
All the anti floride crowd is, is the same nutball nonsense hippie nonsense that brings you the ELF and ALF foolishness and parents who kill their kids by feeding them nothing but soy.
I taught in a rural area without flouridation. I would be more willing to believe or bet that the kids with problem teeth are from families with poor diets, education about oral hygiene, etc. My observation was the kids from "better, more with-it" families had better teeth.
The area I lived in with no floridation in the water was Silicon Valley California.. this was hardly a bastion of uneducated, poor diet po folks.
Floridation works, the evidence is overwhelming that it does work.
How can you "medicate" water with something that is found naturally in many area of the country (with absolutely no ill effects)?
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