this post was submitted on 17 Feb 2025
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Winston Peters says Whangārei fluoridation mandate a 'despotic Soviet-era disgrace' (www.rnz.co.nz)
submitted 4 days ago by BalpeenHammer to c/newzealand
22 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

Once again Winston makes me feel ashamed to be a Kiwi and makes me despise the majority of the country which put people like this in power over our lives.

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[–] TagMeInSkipIGotThis 3 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (2 children)

I grew up on a farm with rainwater, but my mum made us have a fluoride tablet every morning so my teeth did ok :)

I think we were a bit of an aberration back then so god only knows what its like nowadays. The generation before my parents (my Great-Aunts) by the time they were in their late 30s their teeth were so bad all 3 sisters basically had them all pulled and had false teeth for the next 50 years.

[–] absGeekNZ 3 points 3 days ago (1 children)

I'm guessing the missing word here is "mum"

[–] TagMeInSkipIGotThis 1 points 3 days ago

heh, it was

[–] Dave 3 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Hey I also had fluoride tablets when I was young, before we moved into town!

by the time they were in their late 30s their teeth were so bad all 3 sisters basically had them all pulled and had false teeth for the next 50 years.

It's worth remembering that in past generations dentists would just pull out all your teeth and give you false ones instead of trying to solve the issues. I don't know if it was cost or technology but it's only recent generations where dentists have worked hard to save teeth.

[–] ryannathans@aussie.zone 1 points 3 days ago (2 children)

Why do you swallow fluoride tablets when the benefit is from contact with teeth?

[–] Dave 3 points 3 days ago

From what I can find, you're supposed to suck or chew them. I can't remember what we did as kids but chewing them seems reasonable since I was probably 4-6 at the time.

They weren't little gummy bears or anything though, I remember them being tiny, maybe 3mm across, white and round. The kind of pill that you'd expect to break into powder when bitten. And I think we only had half a tablet.

But even if swallowed whole it seems it can get into your teeth via things like fluoride making it's way into your saliva production, but it's less effective because of the low concentration.

[–] HubertManne@moist.catsweat.com 0 points 3 days ago

It helps for it to be in contact with teeth but ingestion helps but mostly in tooth formation. Its effects are akin to vitamin D and vitamin K which you don't have to rub all over your bones but I would not be surprised if it would not be helpful to if that was at all possible.