Flouride invaluable
To the editor:
In reading the Maine Dental Association News Journal this month, I was disappointed to hear that some of the communities in our state have removed, or are thinking of removing, fluoride from their local water supply.
I hope that they carefully research the facts before they vote.
I came to Presque Isle in 1953 and practiced general dentistry until 1959. I returned to Tufts Dental School, became certified in orthodontics and came back to Presque Isle where I practiced orthodontics there until 1995, when I retired.
During my practice in the early 1950s, I saw many cases of extreme dental decay in very young children.
In 1959, Presque Isle and Caribou voted to approve public water fluoridation through the efforts of our county dentists. Most of the towns in the county now have fluoridated water so dentists no longer see the rampant decay that existed earlier.
Younger dentists in the state of Maine, especially those who live in communities with fluoridated water, have never seen the rampant decay that the dentists of my generation had to deal with.
Citizens of Maine, if you are asked to take fluoride out of the water, please research the issue and then ask your dentist about what she or he sees in the mouths of kids between fluoridated versus not-fluoridated areas. That should tell you all you need to know.
Please vote to keep the water fluoridated for the health and well-being of your children and your neighbors.
Dr. Donald R. Blackstone
Presque Isle
