[Tired of Taxes]

you might take note of the number of cavities and state of teeth in the population born up to around 1950, and then compare that to children born in the 1970's or 1980's. Where the silent generation and early boomers have mouth's full of cavities, children and young adults today rarely have any cavities, or if they do, only a few small ones. The difference is water flouridation, and flouride treatment at the dentist, flouride in toothpaste, and flouride in mouthwash.

Throughout most of Europe, flouride is not added to the water supply, yet Europeans have healthier teeth and fewer cavities today, too. So, flouride may not be the reason for healthier teeth today. The real reason probably is that people are taking better care of their teeth.

My great-grandmother lived into her eighties with all of her teeth, and she never had a cavity. And she lived in the days when people went to the barber shop to have their teeth fixed. She took good care of her teeth. So did some other people in those earlier generations. But, many people did not take such good care of their teeth and did not have access to the dental care people have today.

[Tired of Taxes]

Oops. Flouride should be spelled fluoride.

[tongass kid]

Where was you ggmother raised and did she drink well water?

[Heliand]

Eastern Europe generally had flouride treatment through 1990, and western Europe up to the mid-1970’s. That would cover everyone but those under about 40 in the west, 25 in the east.