Comment by artvandelai
19 days ago
Adding fluoride to water was revolutionary in the 1940s, but its benefits have significantly declined since fluoride toothpaste became common in the 1970s. While fluoridation made sense when products containing fluoride weren't widely available, it is much less effective and necessary now. Sure, some countries and communities may still see benefits from it, but widespread fluoridation doesn't seem necessary in many parts of the world.
Not true. Every time I see a dentist here in Queensland (non-fluoridated water) he asks me where else I lived as my teeth are so much better than what he usually sees, and if drilling my teeth are much harder than most Queenslanders.
My early years were spent in Melbourne, where fluoridation was introduced around 1970. That's the only time I lived with fluoridated water, for about 3 years. yet dentists can see the effects 50+ years later.
I don't use a toothbrush or toothpaste, and haven't ever really, as my ASD makes it unbearable.
You're refuting a statment based on studies and statistics by anecdotal evedince. Also, GP never denied that flouridation is still helpful for non-brushing residents.
Poster claimed fluoridation was unnessecary in many parts of the world. This is true of places with natural fluoridation. But not everyone has access to fluoridated toothpaste, or even toothpaste. To assume otherwise is assuming everyone is neurotypical in a developed country.
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The real question is, fluoridated water in the past or not, how is any non-brushing patient being told they're teeth are top tier?
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A dentist sees thousands of patients -a big sample size! Calling it anecdotal evidence is reductive.
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> I don't use a toothbrush or toothpaste, and haven't ever really, as my ASD makes it unbearable.
99% of the world does brush their teeth, so I don't see how this is relevant to their health.
25% of the world population do not have access to drinkable water[0], brushing their teeth is a luxury for them.
[0]: https://toronto.citynews.ca/2023/03/22/un-26-of-world-lacks-...
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No, no they do not. Where do you make up these statistics?
Black Tea has an astounding amount of fluoride. You dentist is stupid for only asking where you live and not what you eat and drink.
As a recent QLD convert thanks for this. I had been wondering why the water up here was so hard.
Hi. Check where you actually are located in Qld, because chances are you are fluoridated just fine. https://www.health.qld.gov.au/public-health/industry-environ...
Are you in FNQ? Around Brissie and the Goldie we're all flouridated.
I've heard similar rumours about army recruitment in the 80s though.
There's a huge difference between "no longer as necessary" and "let's ban it".
There is difference between banning and just deciding putting fluoride in public drinking water too. Who are they banning? Themselves?
Water treatment is usually done at the municipal or regional level. The state government is declaring that towns and cities may not do this. The alternative would be each and every municipal water authority deciding on its own.
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Not really when it comes to government initiatives. They'd like the water plants to stop adding fluoride, so they make a policy that the plants should not add fluoride.
That wouldn’t require a ban. The state banned it because some towns wanted to add it to their water supply. It’s literally big government stopping the will of the people.
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Yeah but anyone can buy fluoride toothpaste so not really banned.
You can add fluoride in your own water if you want to. Nobody is preventing your own freedom to drink fluoride.
That argument works both ways. You can also source your own water if you don't want municipal water.
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Nobody's preventing you from going and finding your own water source either. The government is too much of a nanny state for putting flouride in water for public health, but it's just fine for providing water to you in the first place?
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Yes, why don't the poor just eat cake when they can't get bread?
Defaults matter. Most people won't care or know about the change.
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You can also remove fluoride from your own water if you want to. Although I don't know if there are any filters that can distinguish between naturally occurring fluoride (ok) and fluoride added by the government (evil).
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No, they're banning communities from making the decision for themselves. Government so small it fits right into your drinking tap!
Local governments are prohibited from adding fluoride to their drinking water, even if their community wants it.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/cdoe.12685
It’s still necessary. It is crucial when kids teeth are forming, and brushing does not achieve the same effect.
I find the lack of science in this thread disturbing.
Kids really suck at brushing their teeth