Tooth Decay

Re "State Law on Fluoride Has No Teeth," Sept. 25: As an Orange County pediatrician, I am dismayed by the low priority given our children's dental health by the managers of our local water districts. Fluoridation is safe and effective in preventing tooth decay. Fluoride added to our water is the best method to begin such protection. Shame on elected officials, such as Garden Grove Councilman Mark Leyes, who rail against this public health tool. I have seen hundreds of children from his community with blackened or abscessed teeth, some too embarrassed to show a smile.

It's official: A second ice cream truck will be rolling through the streets of El Segundo. After city debate on whether the town really needed a second ice cream vendor, the City Council voted Tuesday night to approve a license for Chekesha Palmer's truck. Standing his ground was Councilman Don Brann, a longtime school superintendent who initially raised objections, saying ice cream trucks cause health and safety problems for children. Mayor Kelly McDowell quickly moved the item for a vote after asking Palmer whether she planned to sell anything that would be harmful to children, "apart from possible tooth decay, I suppose."

Cavity-prone patients, rejoice: There may soon be less reason to avoid those dentists’ chairs -- researchers have developed a drill-free way to fix and fill teeth. NPR reports on a method that would use a little bit of acid to clear out the gunk and then, using resin, fill the porous areas created by caries. Unlike those shrill drills, the method would also be able to address intermediate cavities on their way to becoming bigger problems. Large cavities can be drilled, and tiny cavities can be fought at home with plenty of fluoride, brushing and flossing.

Los Angeles County health officials Monday called for additional fluoride in water throughout the county and state, in response to a new study that identified oral disease as the No. 1 health problem among California's elementary-school children. Though adding more fluoride is just one step that officials said is needed, "fluoridation is a cornerstone of the responses that we need to have," said Dr. Jonathan Fielding, director of public health for the county Department of Health Services.

With Veronica's front teeth blackened by decay and her molars a collection of jagged holes, Dr. Matthew Tognotti knew the only option was a "happy visit." That meant ignoring the 12 cavities and the disfigured teeth and letting the 5-year-old Oxnard kindergartner walk away with a quick examination and a rubber duck key chain. "Sometimes with these kids, you just take a look in their mouth and give them a prize, just so we don't traumatize them," the dentist said.

On a quiet Monday morning, Pauline Geiger--the Plaque Buster--came to Hoover Elementary School in Santa Ana to talk about teeth. Wearing blue boots, a blue-jean jumpsuit with the words "Plaque Busters" stitched on the front and dangly earrings made from a tiny toothbrush and tube of toothpaste, she strolled to the front of a kindergarten class. "Hi. Gimme a pretty smile," she said to a 6-year-old.

A century ago Americans expected to lose their teeth by middle age. Now, of course, dentures and old age don't have to be synonymous. With declines in tooth decay since the 1970s and an emphasis on prevention, fewer people are toothless today than a generation ago--30% of adults 65 or older compared with 46% two decades ago, according to the U.S. Surgeon General's report on oral health in America.

Halloween is upon us, which means it's time for the most ridiculously alarmist warnings from doctors, dentists and healthcare specialists about the evils of the holiday. You thought you and your kids were going to have a good time? Forget it. It's all gloom and doom. The second you step out your door or put one piece of candy in your mouth it's over. Got that? Over. Tooth decay, obesity and an airplane hangar full of germs are one Snickers away. Let's start with the news release we got from an orthodontist reminding us that October is National Orthodontic Health Month.

Americans' teeth have improved markedly during the last three decades as a result of water fluoridation, regular brushing, better nutrition and the use of fluoride mouthwashes, dental floss and sealants. From 1980 to 1987, the proportion of U.S. children age 5 to 17 with no decay in their permanent teeth rose from 36.6% to 49.9%. Toothlessness among middle-aged adults declined from about about 8% 13 years ago to just 4% in 1985, according to the National Institute on Dental Research in Bethesda, Md. Now, a second dental revolution--already under way--promises to build on these gains and make most procedures far less complicated, painful and time-consuming for the 133 million Americans who spend $33 billion annually on their teeth.