The Tooth Fairy is Not a Fan

My mother bemoaned the fact that I had inherited my father's soft teeth and made the comment that if I didn't quit eating candy, the TF would refuse my cavity ridden teeth. I think she thought this threat would make a difference in my dental hygiene. It didn't. My mother, however, had very strong teeth and died at eighty eight with all of them intact.

My husband's story is much the same as mine. No fluoride in his Union, NJ drinking water, either, and no inherited pearly whites.

By the time I reached adulthood, I had molars that were completely filled with mercury amalgams. My mouth could have set off buzzers if a metal detector was within close proximity. As of this writing, most of my teeth are now capped with porcelain.

When Carl and I had our children, the Minneapolis city water was fortified with fluoride. We were assured by our family dentist that our children would not have the terrible pain of his drill invading their sweet little mouths to grind away at cavities.

Surprisingly, our two girls proved the dentist and his fluoride claims were erroneous. Our oldest daughter inherited my mother's very strong teeth and our youngest (by an unlucky draw in the gene pool) got a double whammy by inheriting both her parents' crummy teeth. If only she had skipped back a generation and taken after my mother, she wouldn't have a false tooth and a mouth full of crowns as an adult.

Therefore, I'm not convinced that dental chemistry is the answer to strong, perfect teeth. Good old family gene chemistry is what makes the big difference.

Nevertheless, seeing a dentist on a yearly basis for a good cleaning is still your best solution for keeping your teeth into old age.

Drinking fluoridated water as prevention for tooth decay is nothing but dubious experimentation.