7 ms·

And removing fluoride from the water

cpursley 1y ago
Why does American drinking water need fluoride - for the few seconds people brush their teeth? Other developed nations seem to do get by just fine without it (i.e, most of Europe). Does modern tooth paste not contain the components for proper cleaning? I feel like I'm missing something here, because I don't swallow my tooth paste but I drink my tap water. But if fluoride is fine in water that we drink, why not just add all the other vital chemicals to the tap water that our bodies crave, like soma? Because it really smells like peoples opposition to this is not science-based but emotion-based (i.e., anti-RFK and Trump admin).
- jdiff 1y ago
  "For the few seconds people brush their teeth"? That's not how fluoridated drinking water works. Fluoridated water works all of the time, not just when brushing teeth, and it's not a vital chemical that the body craves. You are missing something. If you're this confused about a topic, you should at a bare minimum read the Wikipedia page.
  - cpursley 1y ago
    I've read it and am not convinced we need to be ingesting fluoride water. Nor is Europe or most other countries and their dental health is fine. Said another way - brush yo teeth, brush yo GD teeth: https://youtu.be/GlKL_EpnSp8?si=NeKJWKNlcHxtDUYD&t=112 https://youtu.be/GlKL_EpnSp8?si=NeKJWKNlcHxtDUYD&t=112
    - jdiff 1y ago
      The questions you posed are not questioning fluoride, they're asking what the basic premise even is. If you don't understand that, you are far from the position needed to be evaluating and analyzing the necessity or benefits of it. The Wikipedia page you mentioned reading also points out that it's not only a US thing. Or even a water-only thing.
      - imcritic 1y ago
        When I see an argument with a phrase like "basic premise" I know I'm reading some word mambo jambo, otherwise the author would just give their summary of that "basic premise" instead of deadlinking it (refer to something without actually referring it). You don't have an argument yourself, you just wanted to share that you are pro some position.
        cpursley 1y ago
        [flagged]
        jdiff 1y ago
        There are clear factual errors in the underlying assumptions of what was stated about water fluoridation. Those are simply table stakes for having a discussion about anything at all. If one thinks that water fluoridation is useful "just for a few seconds," that it's not done outside of the United States, that it's a replacement for toothpaste, that it's a vital chemical, or that we don't fortify other foods, then they do not know enough about the topic to talk about it, let alone hold the opinion that they know better. If someone came in with a curious mindset, that'd be one thing. But this is someone walking into a room with an agenda (get rid of fluoride) and a shocking lack of knowledge about that agenda.
        cpursley 1y ago
        Just brush your teeth after every meal, you will be fine like the Finns. And prob a higher IQ like them, as well (without all the unnecessary floride in the water).
        jdiff 1y ago
        Where are the studies supporting this claim? A random person on the internet saying "prob higher IQ" is not a convincing argument.
        tremon 1y ago
        PSA: brushing your teeth directly after eating is actually detrimental, because the acids in food soften the enamel on your teeth. That layer needs to harden first (wait 20-30 minutes), otherwise your toothbrush will strip it away: https://www.cuimc.columbia.edu/news/brushing-immediately-after-meals-you-may-want-wait https://www.cuimc.columbia.edu/news/brushing-immediately-aft...
    - mschuster91 1y ago
      Yeah because in Europe we add fluoride and iodine to table salt, as well as to our toothpaste. Also, we don't have anywhere close to the sugar consumption the US has, which keeps both our diabetes and dental health issues at rates far below the US.
- Spooky23 1y ago
  Because just like we have stupid people who don’t vaccinate their children from measles, we have stupid people who don’t make them brush their teeth. So rather than have them suffer with a lifetime of oral health problems, you can intervene in a transparent and cheap way to prevent these issues altogether. The introduction of fluoride dramatically improved oral health. NYC has been doing it since the 1960s, so one would think we’d see evidence of the supposed negative effects.
  - cpursley 1y ago
    Any actual stats on people not brushing their teeth? It's not 1960 any more... And my entire point was to compare to other nations with similar development levels that don't pump it into their water supply and are doing just fine in terms of oral health. And by your metric, should we also pump in vitamins and other substances that our bodies crave? Maybe the Fed gov't could just skip that and force drip IV everyone a compliance cocktail after their breakfast of USDA approved and SNAP subsidized Captain Crunch?
    - Kirby64 1y ago
      > Any actual stats on people not brushing their teeth? It's not 1960 any more... And my entire point was to compare to other nations with similar development levels that don't pump it into their water supply and are doing just fine in terms of oral health. Something like 30% of people report not brushing their teeth at least once a day. Unclear if that means most of them brush every other day or some even lower frequency, but I’d assume if you report not brushing at least once a day then you likely aren’t brushing consistently every other day or something. > And by your metric, should we also pump in vitamins and other substances that our bodies crave? Maybe the Fed gov't could just skip that and force drip IV everyone a compliance cocktail after their breakfast of USDA approved and SNAP subsidized Captain Crunch? We already do this, all the time! Vitamin and mineral fortified foods are everywhere. Iodine is in a lot of salt. It’s a good thing, not something to be mocked. Most vitamins and minerals have minimal cost, no issues with taking “too much” of them, and have significant health benefits if you are deficit on that particular thing.

Why does American drinking water need fluoride - for the few seconds people brush their teeth? Other developed nations seem to do get by just fine without it (i.e, most of Europe). Does modern tooth paste not contain the components for proper cleaning? I feel like I'm missing something here, because I don't swallow my tooth paste but I drink my tap water. But if fluoride is fine in water that we drink, why not just add all the other vital chemicals to the tap water that our bodies crave, like soma? Because it really smells like peoples opposition to this is not science-based but emotion-based (i.e., anti-RFK and Trump admin).

jdiff 1y ago
"For the few seconds people brush their teeth"? That's not how fluoridated drinking water works. Fluoridated water works all of the time, not just when brushing teeth, and it's not a vital chemical that the body craves. You are missing something. If you're this confused about a topic, you should at a bare minimum read the Wikipedia page.
- cpursley 1y ago
  I've read it and am not convinced we need to be ingesting fluoride water. Nor is Europe or most other countries and their dental health is fine. Said another way - brush yo teeth, brush yo GD teeth: https://youtu.be/GlKL_EpnSp8?si=NeKJWKNlcHxtDUYD&t=112 https://youtu.be/GlKL_EpnSp8?si=NeKJWKNlcHxtDUYD&t=112
  - jdiff 1y ago
    The questions you posed are not questioning fluoride, they're asking what the basic premise even is. If you don't understand that, you are far from the position needed to be evaluating and analyzing the necessity or benefits of it. The Wikipedia page you mentioned reading also points out that it's not only a US thing. Or even a water-only thing.
    - imcritic 1y ago
      When I see an argument with a phrase like "basic premise" I know I'm reading some word mambo jambo, otherwise the author would just give their summary of that "basic premise" instead of deadlinking it (refer to something without actually referring it). You don't have an argument yourself, you just wanted to share that you are pro some position.
      - cpursley 1y ago
        [flagged]
      - jdiff 1y ago
        There are clear factual errors in the underlying assumptions of what was stated about water fluoridation. Those are simply table stakes for having a discussion about anything at all. If one thinks that water fluoridation is useful "just for a few seconds," that it's not done outside of the United States, that it's a replacement for toothpaste, that it's a vital chemical, or that we don't fortify other foods, then they do not know enough about the topic to talk about it, let alone hold the opinion that they know better. If someone came in with a curious mindset, that'd be one thing. But this is someone walking into a room with an agenda (get rid of fluoride) and a shocking lack of knowledge about that agenda.
        cpursley 1y ago
        Just brush your teeth after every meal, you will be fine like the Finns. And prob a higher IQ like them, as well (without all the unnecessary floride in the water).
        jdiff 1y ago
        Where are the studies supporting this claim? A random person on the internet saying "prob higher IQ" is not a convincing argument.
        tremon 1y ago
        PSA: brushing your teeth directly after eating is actually detrimental, because the acids in food soften the enamel on your teeth. That layer needs to harden first (wait 20-30 minutes), otherwise your toothbrush will strip it away: https://www.cuimc.columbia.edu/news/brushing-immediately-after-meals-you-may-want-wait https://www.cuimc.columbia.edu/news/brushing-immediately-aft...
  - mschuster91 1y ago
    Yeah because in Europe we add fluoride and iodine to table salt, as well as to our toothpaste. Also, we don't have anywhere close to the sugar consumption the US has, which keeps both our diabetes and dental health issues at rates far below the US.
Spooky23 1y ago
Because just like we have stupid people who don’t vaccinate their children from measles, we have stupid people who don’t make them brush their teeth. So rather than have them suffer with a lifetime of oral health problems, you can intervene in a transparent and cheap way to prevent these issues altogether. The introduction of fluoride dramatically improved oral health. NYC has been doing it since the 1960s, so one would think we’d see evidence of the supposed negative effects.
- cpursley 1y ago
  Any actual stats on people not brushing their teeth? It's not 1960 any more... And my entire point was to compare to other nations with similar development levels that don't pump it into their water supply and are doing just fine in terms of oral health. And by your metric, should we also pump in vitamins and other substances that our bodies crave? Maybe the Fed gov't could just skip that and force drip IV everyone a compliance cocktail after their breakfast of USDA approved and SNAP subsidized Captain Crunch?
  - Kirby64 1y ago
    > Any actual stats on people not brushing their teeth? It's not 1960 any more... And my entire point was to compare to other nations with similar development levels that don't pump it into their water supply and are doing just fine in terms of oral health. Something like 30% of people report not brushing their teeth at least once a day. Unclear if that means most of them brush every other day or some even lower frequency, but I’d assume if you report not brushing at least once a day then you likely aren’t brushing consistently every other day or something. > And by your metric, should we also pump in vitamins and other substances that our bodies crave? Maybe the Fed gov't could just skip that and force drip IV everyone a compliance cocktail after their breakfast of USDA approved and SNAP subsidized Captain Crunch? We already do this, all the time! Vitamin and mineral fortified foods are everywhere. Iodine is in a lot of salt. It’s a good thing, not something to be mocked. Most vitamins and minerals have minimal cost, no issues with taking “too much” of them, and have significant health benefits if you are deficit on that particular thing.