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Remember how the UK was sort of made fun of for bad oral hygiene? That's about to be the US.
From one of the links:
“Prior to the age of 6, you need to have some fluoride that you swallow so that it can get into the developing permanent teeth,” she said. “That’s the most important time for systemic fluoride.”
Explains why we were forced to take fluoride tablets in school. I wonder if parents (who are pro fluoride) could just do that for their children, if they can’t manage to keep fluoride in the public water supply.
Yeah. They don’t know how shitty this is. I grew up in the sticks with well water that had effectively no fluoride. I’ve had increasing amounts of dental work done as I get older. It’s expensive. Painful. Irritating. At least three dentists just outright said “You grew up on well water, didn’t you?” after looking at my teeth. My partner grew up on public fluoridated water and easily has less than 1/3 of the work I’ve had done.
Fluoride has real benefits. These kids will be paying the price for a lifetime.
We don't do that in Germany and we're not all running around with rotting teeth.
While true, Germany does have fluoridated salt and fluoride rinses instead. Its just easier for USA water to be fluoridated since the water supplies are more unified. See https://web.archive.org/web/20170206122513/http://www.wda.org/wp_super_faq/european-countries-have-rejected-fluoridation-so-why-should-we-fluoridate-water
replace the fluoride with raw malk
Mmm, the listeria builds a stronk immunity.
I hate just how the fluoride conspiracy theory is still a thing when it's been proven time and time again that fluoride is needed to maintain healthy dental hygine.
I think calling it a conspiracy theory is not entirely fair. It's a genuine scientific debate, hindered by the lack of proper evidence and studies that apply to the US.
Read https://www.statnews.com/2025/01/06/fluoride-iq-jama-pediatrics-critiques-meta-analysis/ for example, it highlights a recent meta-study that found a small, but non-negligible effect on neurodevelopment if people were ingesting fluoride. But a lot of studies it relies on have some asterisks attached. Those are properly accounted for in the meta-study, but ultimately the answer is "we don't really know".
Many western countries don't add fluoride to the drinking water; many used to do so in the past but stopped. There were the concerns about neurotoxicity (albeit minor) but also some ethical concerns regarding mass-medicating the population without any realistic opt-out. But the other major reason is that those countries have the population exercise good dental practices like brushing twice a day with fluoridated toothpaste, which is spat out instead of swallowed. This avoids concerns of neurotoxicity but maintains the dental benefits: a best of both worlds basically (also endorsed by most scientists).
The US has systemic poverty issues, and a large part of the population do not observe these good dental practices, not necessarily through ill-will but rather because they lack the money to buy toothpaste. Because of that, removing fluoride will likely increase cavities in the US, unlike in other western countries.
Ideally the US keeps the fluoride around until these systemic poverty issues are largely resolved. But knowing the current shitstains in government...
People would find a way to demonize vitamin B if the government had a program to supply it to people for free.
They know it's bullshit, they're just using it to sell the idea to morons.
The point is actually the increase in cavities. They want to make it even more expensive to be poor, with the ultimate goal of starving out anyone who isn't profitable.
They know it's bullshit, they're just using it to sell the idea to morons.
I agree, although I would say the misinformed and decieved because this is all caused by the top 1%.
The point is actually the increase in cavities. They want to make it even more expensive to be poor, with the ultimate goal of starving out anyone who isn't profitable.
Exactly, this is why I find the current misinformation/data enshitification landscape to be quite insidious as actions like this only widens the wealth gap with poorer people suffering more for the benefit of the rich.
Same situation but in the tech field:
Wow! They managed to make our healthcare even worse.
And we're only five months in.
I mean it is banned in Sweden (and so is every manipulation of the drinking water) and we are doing alright. I don't really care whenever you guys ban it or not, but the world won't end if you ban it.
Don't you have affordable dental care and time off from work? Not exactly apples and apelsiner.
Sweden also has significantly more robust social safety nets, higher income, homogenous population among many other things that allow this to work out. The US has entire regions where dental care basically isn’t a thing and I don’t think it’s ok to be harming our already very vulnerable populations and leaving kids with painful, expensive dental issues that could have been prevented that can contribute to things like poor eating, malnutrition, blood infections, distracting pain and discomfort
it's a weird issue to me, because it's a really out-dated conspiracy theory.
most people these days have been marketed away from tap water and only drink bottled stuff, which doesn't fluoridate its water. and the people that are too poor to drink the bottled stuff probably have more to worry about when it comes to the pipes carrying the water.
fluoridation was started a long time ago, before a lot of people brushed their teeth with toothpaste. which is the next funny thing to me. why do we still need fluoride in water if people use toothpaste now, and why are people opposed to having it in their water when they consume it voluntarily multiple times every day?
you want to address water issues in america? start with fucking michigan. start with the lead pipes in low income areas. address the science that shows a link between lead poisoning and crime.
without brushing and adequate dental care
Poor people often can't afford toothbrushes and/or toothpaste, let alone the "recommended" (read: mandatory, or people will say you deserved to lose your teeth) floss, mouthwash, electric toothbrush, etc., all from "reputable brands".
Poor people often can’t afford toothbrushes and/or toothpaste
... What? Is this sarcasm, or did you mean to say "completely destitute" instead of "poor"?
A quick search on Walmart right now shows a 4 pack of toothbrushes for $2.95 and individual tubes of toothpaste for $1.00.
it's not always the cost but the parents that need to set an example. if dental health and good brushing habits taught to children at least the flouride acts as some backup
There are times, when that $2.95 is needed for your dinner, plus poverty-induced anxiety messes with your brain.
I don't buy this argument. A single toothbrush lasts months, and a tube of paste can also last months if you're careful with it... But even if you don't, it's one freaking dollar. You don't even need to be a beggar to scrounge up a dollar, just walk through any public place and you'll probably find enough coins on the ground.
poverty-induced anxiety messes with your brain.
Someone not brushing their teeth (or otherwise taking care of themselves) because of depression or some other mental illness is a whole different issue. It's also not unique to poverty.
A single toothbrush lasts months
Poor people often use them for a year.
Someone not brushing their teeth (or otherwise taking care of themselves) because of depression or some other mental illness is a whole different issue. It’s also not unique to poverty.
But is more common among poor people, because poverty induces a constant state of stress.