A week ago Monday I was in an accident where I was hit in the face with a spring loaded iron bar that smashed into my face. The result was lots of blood, the loss of all my front teeth, some stitches and multiple facial fractures.
So now it is off to see the people that make dentures.
The denture lady seemed to be very busy, which gave me confidence in her expertise, so I mentioned to her that business must be very good, now that the baby-boomers are getting to be the right age for dentures.
Too my surprise she laughed. The fluoridated water came in just as the baby boomers were arriving, and before the bottled water fad hit society.
Turns out it is the 20 to 40 year olds that she sees mostly. Naturally I was pretty shocked and asked her to tell me more.
She is the same age as my sons, and graduated in the same school year, and when she took up the dental trade she was told in a decade there will be very little need for denturists.
How very wrong people were, she never imagined she would be this busy today.
So, how come?
People dont look after their teeth. They destroy their teeth with tongue rings, they do drugs like meth, they drink bottled water, soft drinks and eat sterile food.
Babys start forming teeth enamel as early as 5 months old, and nursing mothers that are listening to the health gurus are not getting the assortment of minerals they need from bottled water to pass on to their babies. It has to be in the water, pills dont do the job. Their babies start life with crappy flaky enamel that wears easily and the pattern of avoiding regular tap water is started early, their teeth never have a chance of becoming strong and hard.
There is no substitute for water, when it comes to forming and telling the story of our teeth. We are animals of the earth and we need all the minerals that natural water will carry, and fluoridated waters are better than others. Teeth can be cut apart 5,000 years from now and the teeth will reveal the water they were formed from.
I asked what she thought about the city ending the fluoridation of city water. No need to tell you what she said, you already know what the dental professionals have to say.
She said sadly ending fluoridation would certainly secure the future of the denture business.
City council should be leaders of a public campaign to support fluoridation and promote drinking tap water. Drinking bottled water and ending fluoridation has health consequences that people dont seem to be aware of. Just like the good old days when smoking, and drinking and driving, had a cost that took awhile to understand, and then the needed social and political change of attitude happened.
When city council ends fluoridation they will be the material for documentaries like the ones we see made about how terrible and obvious a mistake it was when politicians played politics with something they should not touch.
The actions of politicians have consequences on real people. Experience is a relentless and merciless teacher, and one day you, or someone you might have feelings about, will be sitting in the dentist chair because as a politician you had the position, but never did the right thing.
Dentures, no big deal right?
Ill be in surgery all day on Tuesday, bring your video camera if you have the guts, and the bag of prescription pills I was told to get is enough to make anyone queasy. But at least I lost my teeth the hard way. What you do by ending fluoridation is inhuman and has no compassion for your innocent victims.
Lee Sexsmith
Prince George
