Denver Post Comment Section

why brush your teeth if your going to the dentist?

Because it's a public health issue.

Because I'm in favor of healthy populations, I favor all policies that make the population healthier.

I strongly favor crushing dissent from non-experts on the topic. In this specific case, the overwhelmingly positive outcome of reduced cavity rates, is totally worth the butthurt that anti-flouride folks experience.

tbh my teeth-brushing/dentist regimen is calibrated to having minuscule amounts fluoride in the water. I’d prefer not to actually do the after-every-snack and every-six-months thing it would require to not.

Pick your take: Because not everyone will brush and those most likely to get cavities tend to overlap with those who don't brush.

Because the fertilizer companies wanted a (cheap) way to 'safely' get rid of toxic byproducts of their production practices and lobbied the government add it to municipal water supplies. if they can turn toxic waste disposal costs into profit from selling toxic byproducts they kill two birds with one stone.

My take: Personally, I think that fluoridization would be better served by making it an opt out wash treatment in schools and keeping it in toothpaste. I don't see a need to waste money on excess low quality fluoride when a better quality and less quantity of fluoride can be used directly on the teeth. And that's already done in toothpaste and can additionally be done in schools for coverage of nonbrushers with the help of cooperative school nurses.