Broke tooth gnawing meat from a beef short rib today! This is what happens growing up somewhere without fluoride in the drinking water and having a sweet tooth.
How I broke tooth
Tonight I slowly oven roasted a rack of beef short ribs for dinner. The meat was tender and fell off the bone, although there was a little meat still attached and needed to be gnawed off. That was my downfall.
A childhood deficiency
As much as I loved my childhood and growing up in Brisbane, there was one significant shortcoming. For reasons that baffle me, the government in Queensland and the Brisbane City Council resisted the evidence that fluoride in the drinking water protected teeth against dental caries.
I just can’t understand it. I was always at the dentist getting fillings. The same was true for my brothers and my mother. Elsewhere in Australia, fluoride in the water was protecting the teeth of everyone.
I’m grateful I have a well-paying job and can afford to attend the dentist. I have three ceramic crowns and two white gold crowns and about half of my teeth have had root canal treatment.
Yesterday I mentioned that if I was President of Australia, I’d campaign on a long weekend every month. I think I’d also campaign on fluoridation of drinking water and free vaccination for adults and children against important communicable diseases.
I shouldn’t blame my poor dentition on the lack of water fluoridation alone. I’ve always been fond of sugar-laden food and my dental hygiene hasn’t always been up to par.
Anyway, I’m hoping I can get into a dentist next week to repair the molar that has broken.
How do you feel about fluoridation of the drinking water?
How do you feel about the cost of dental care?