7 ms·

In spite of that, it's still nice to not have had any dental fillings or major dental work by the time I turn 30. This will be different from both of my parents

In spite of that, it's still nice to not have had any dental fillings or major dental work by the time I turn 30. This will be different from both of my parents. I think I'm happy to trade a minor increase in some other risks for the ability to eat without pain.

juliangregorian 11y ago
Cool anecdote, but you know what would be even better? If we had a choice.
- TazeTSchnitzel 11y ago
  You do have a choice. If fluoride scares you so much, stop brushing your teeth and buy a water filter. Oh, and eat a diet that has no carbohydrates in it.
  - juliangregorian 11y ago
    Cute answer, but I, along with the entire non-toddler population, don't ingest toothpaste. HN's propensity for "don't like it? Just buy this gadget/start your own company/move to Somalia"-style rhetoric also makes an appearance. I have no idea what you meant with the carbohydrate comment if you wouldn't mind explaining. Oh and thanks for the down vote, but this isn't reddit.
    - TazeTSchnitzel 11y ago
      > Cute answer, but I, along with the entire non-toddler population, don't ingest toothpaste. You do ingest toothpaste, albeit only small amounts. Much like you ingest mouthwash, you just try to keep it to a minimum. > HN's propensity for "don't like it? Just buy this gadget/start your own company/move to Somalia"-style rhetoric also makes an appearance. What else can I suggest? In a democratic society that is your choice. You can fight to change the law, or you can work around it. > I have no idea what you meant with the carbohydrate comment if you wouldn't mind explaining. Since humans developed agriculture and started consuming large amounts of carbohydrates, they have experienced tooth decay. Fluoride is necessary to prevent it. > Oh and thanks for the down vote, but this isn't reddit. This discussion is completely off-topic and your comments are unhelpful. A downvote is justifiable.
      - juliangregorian 11y ago
        > In a democratic society that is your choice. You can fight to change the law, or you can work around it. Ridiculous. First, neither of us live in a democracy. There was no vote where the general populace elected to receive low doses of toxic minerals in our drinking water. Rather cabals of lobbyists persuaded municipal officials to add it under the guise of it being a good thing. Which has yet to be statistically demonstrated.
        TazeTSchnitzel 11y ago
        > Ridiculous. First, neither of us live in a democracy. You don't know where I live! Though I'd agree that capitalist countries are not very democratic, at least not mine and the United States. > There was no vote where the general populace elected to receive low doses of toxic minerals in our drinking water. It varies by country. "Toxic minerals" is an amusing statement given that virtually all substances are toxic in the correct dose. As someone else pointed out, sola dosis facit venenum: the dose makes the poison.
        juliangregorian 11y ago
        It's trivial to find out you live in Scotland. Your statement about toxicity is quite valid, nevertheless you can remove the word toxic and my point still stands. I would love to know of the country that democratically elected to receive fluoride in their water.
        TazeTSchnitzel 11y ago
        > It's trivial to find out you live in Scotland. Yeah, I'd just assumed from the way you worded that, that you didn't know where I lived. My bad.
thomas943 11y ago
If you're interested to know how and why you've been conditioned to think that way, look up Edward Bernays and his involvement with getting fluoride into the water supply of a number of countries. In short, he's known as the father of Public Relations. Fluoride can only legally be disposed of in expensive toxic waste dumps, and Mr. Bernays came up with a plan to dispose of it for free by passing it through the human body. His public relations skills were so amazing that he even succeeded in making people (like you) want to ingest it.
- TazeTSchnitzel 11y ago
  Yes, water fluoridation happened, at least in part, because of large company lobbying. This has no impact on its health benefits, however. For $1 a year, we get less cavities. This isn't marketing bullshit, it's science.
  - juliangregorian 11y ago
    It's not science and just because you know a little bit about computer science doesn't make you qualified to speak about water fluoridation. Several countries have banned water fluoridation for the very reason that after decades and decades there is no causal link between water fluoridation and tooth decay.
    - DanBC 11y ago
      Do you have any links?
      - juliangregorian 11y ago
        http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Water_fluoridation_controversy&mobileaction=toggle_view_desktop#Use_throughout_the_world http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Water_fluoridation... TLDR: most of Europe
        DanBC 11y ago

juliangregorian 11y ago

Cool anecdote, but you know what would be even better? If we had a choice.

TazeTSchnitzel 11y ago
You do have a choice. If fluoride scares you so much, stop brushing your teeth and buy a water filter. Oh, and eat a diet that has no carbohydrates in it.
- juliangregorian 11y ago
  Cute answer, but I, along with the entire non-toddler population, don't ingest toothpaste. HN's propensity for "don't like it? Just buy this gadget/start your own company/move to Somalia"-style rhetoric also makes an appearance. I have no idea what you meant with the carbohydrate comment if you wouldn't mind explaining. Oh and thanks for the down vote, but this isn't reddit.
  - TazeTSchnitzel 11y ago
    > Cute answer, but I, along with the entire non-toddler population, don't ingest toothpaste. You do ingest toothpaste, albeit only small amounts. Much like you ingest mouthwash, you just try to keep it to a minimum. > HN's propensity for "don't like it? Just buy this gadget/start your own company/move to Somalia"-style rhetoric also makes an appearance. What else can I suggest? In a democratic society that is your choice. You can fight to change the law, or you can work around it. > I have no idea what you meant with the carbohydrate comment if you wouldn't mind explaining. Since humans developed agriculture and started consuming large amounts of carbohydrates, they have experienced tooth decay. Fluoride is necessary to prevent it. > Oh and thanks for the down vote, but this isn't reddit. This discussion is completely off-topic and your comments are unhelpful. A downvote is justifiable.
    - juliangregorian 11y ago
      > In a democratic society that is your choice. You can fight to change the law, or you can work around it. Ridiculous. First, neither of us live in a democracy. There was no vote where the general populace elected to receive low doses of toxic minerals in our drinking water. Rather cabals of lobbyists persuaded municipal officials to add it under the guise of it being a good thing. Which has yet to be statistically demonstrated.
      - TazeTSchnitzel 11y ago
        > Ridiculous. First, neither of us live in a democracy. You don't know where I live! Though I'd agree that capitalist countries are not very democratic, at least not mine and the United States. > There was no vote where the general populace elected to receive low doses of toxic minerals in our drinking water. It varies by country. "Toxic minerals" is an amusing statement given that virtually all substances are toxic in the correct dose. As someone else pointed out, sola dosis facit venenum: the dose makes the poison.
        juliangregorian 11y ago
        It's trivial to find out you live in Scotland. Your statement about toxicity is quite valid, nevertheless you can remove the word toxic and my point still stands. I would love to know of the country that democratically elected to receive fluoride in their water.
        TazeTSchnitzel 11y ago
        > It's trivial to find out you live in Scotland. Yeah, I'd just assumed from the way you worded that, that you didn't know where I lived. My bad.

thomas943 11y ago

If you're interested to know how and why you've been conditioned to think that way, look up Edward Bernays and his involvement with getting fluoride into the water supply of a number of countries. In short, he's known as the father of Public Relations. Fluoride can only legally be disposed of in expensive toxic waste dumps, and Mr. Bernays came up with a plan to dispose of it for free by passing it through the human body. His public relations skills were so amazing that he even succeeded in making people (like you) want to ingest it.

TazeTSchnitzel 11y ago
Yes, water fluoridation happened, at least in part, because of large company lobbying. This has no impact on its health benefits, however. For $1 a year, we get less cavities. This isn't marketing bullshit, it's science.
- juliangregorian 11y ago
  It's not science and just because you know a little bit about computer science doesn't make you qualified to speak about water fluoridation. Several countries have banned water fluoridation for the very reason that after decades and decades there is no causal link between water fluoridation and tooth decay.
  - DanBC 11y ago
    Do you have any links?
    - juliangregorian 11y ago
      http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Water_fluoridation_controversy&mobileaction=toggle_view_desktop#Use_throughout_the_world http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Water_fluoridation... TLDR: most of Europe
      - DanBC 11y ago