Fluoride In The Water System Works!

Windsor to put fluoride back into the water after council vote

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Council voted 8-3 in 2013 to remove it, and 8-3 in 2018 to put it back

CBC News · Posted: Dec 14, 2018 10:08 PM ET | Last Updated: December 18

Windsor's water hasn't been fluoridated for five years.

After a five-year moratorium, Windsor will be seeing fluoride in the water again.

City council voted 8-3 in favour of the reintroduction of fluoride. Back in 2013, council voted 8-3 to take it out after more than 50 years of water fluoridation.

The issue was a controversial one with 16 delegates lined up to speak, and 59 emails received by the city clerk ahead of the meeting. The debate went on for hours.

One of the delegates was Dr. Wajid Ahmed, acting medical officer of health with the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit. According to the Oral Health 2018 report released by the health unit, the percentage of children with tooth decay or requiring urgent care has increased by 51 per cent in 2016-17 compared to 2011-12.

• Fluoride no longer to be added to Windsor water

However, Mayor Drew Dilkens, who voted to have fluoride taken out five years ago did not change his stance. He joined Ward 1 Coun. Fred Francis and Ward 5 Coun. Ed Sleiman in casting dissenting votes.

"Fluoride is one tool for good oral health, we all know that, but it's not the only tool," Dilkens said before the meeting.

Dilkens said fluoridated toothpaste is the "number-one thing" people can use to protect their teeth. He also suggested Healthy Smiles, the provincial program for low-income families to send their kids to receive free dental care.

City council voted 8-3 to bring fluoride back into the water. (Jonathan Pinto/CBC)

However, Joyce Zuk, executive director of Family Services Windsor-Essex doesn't agree that toothpaste is enough. 

She said requests for dental assistance at the organization have gone up by 300 per cent from 2014 to 2018. 

"I'm not trained in science," said Zuk. "When we don't know the answer, we look to our experts to provide us with an answer. And in this case, our experts are the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit."

Ward 6 Coun. Jo-Anne Gignac, who voted against taking fluoride out five years ago, kept her stance this time. She said even though water fluoridation is "not a silver bullet" in solving dental problems in the community, "it's going to go a heck of a long way."

Mixed reviews

Some delegates wrote that they don't want fluoride in their water because they are worried about potential adverse health effects, while others want to have a choice for what they get to consume.

Francis agrees with the latter point. 

He said he heard no evidence showing a "direct correlation" between taking away fluoride and the significant increase in tooth decay over the last five years, as mentioned in the oral health report.

"Without a direct correlation, I cannot vote to take away personal consent. I can't do it," said Francis.

Dental professionals have written to the city clerk, saying water fluoridation is an easy and cheap way to improve dental health for all people. (The Canadian Press)

Health professionals say concerns over fluoride aren't founded on any scientific evidence. 

"This is a safe and cost-effective way to improve the oral health status of everyone in the community," wrote Dr. Sanjukta Mohanta, past president of Halton-Peel Dental Association.

"I have seen how easily people living in non-fluoridated areas get cavities — something that could have been prevented."

Others argued that fluoridating water will help improve the health of the entire population, including those who can't afford to see a dentist regularly.

• Putting fluoride back in Windsor's water will improve dental hygiene, say health officials

Dilkens thinks the decision shouldn't be made at the municipal level at all, and Ward 7 Coun. Irek Kusmierczyk agrees.

However, Kusmierczyk voted in favour of reintroduction of fluoride because of "compelling" numbers from the health experts who spoke.

"I think rather than waiting for the province of Ontario to act … I think we have an opportunity to do something that the experts here tell us makes a difference," he said.

The money saved from stopping fluoridation over the past five years has been diverted for oral health and nutrition education in the region.

Now that Windsor is putting fluoride back in, Enwin Utilities estimates a one-time cost of $850,000, as the old equipment is no longer available for reuse.

Ongoing costs would total roughly $105,000 to purchase the fluoride each year.

With files from Chris Ensing

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Dreaming About Teeth Falling Out? What It Might Mean

Dreams About Teeth Falling Out: Dream Meanings Explained

• Holly QuinnThe Huffington Post

Dreams about teeth falling out are a common theme at bedtime. If you or a loved one has been covering this ground at night, you may have questions about what it all might mean. As part of a Huffington Post series on dreams and their meanings, we spoke to Richard Nicoletti, J.D., a Jungian psychotherapist trained at the Jung Institute in Boston, to get expert advice about the meanings of your or your loved one’s dreams about teeth falling out. Note: While dream analysis is highly subjective, this post might provide some insight into why this dream occurred or is recurring.
What do dreams about teeth falling out mean?
The meaning of dreams about teeth falling out depends on several factors, including whether they're your teeth or someone else's. "It could mean that the dreamer's ability to assess emotional experiences was being interfered with," says Nicoletti. "When the teeth fall out, one's survival is challenged, one's ability to eat, so it could mean disease. If it's a person other than the dreamer whose teeth are falling out, the dreamer may have an issue with the person, who may be a superior at work, for example. The dream may indicate that the fear of the person in waking life is overstated."
What can I learn about myself from dreaming about teeth falling out?
When you wake up from a dream about teeth falling out, ask yourself some questions, says Nicoletti: "What am I failing to really dig into? Are there possible issues with a spouse, children or work that I am refusing to 'bite into'?"
Are there any tricks to avoiding or inducing dreams about teeth falling out?
"Live freely," says Nicoletti. "Psychoanalysis is the process of trying to understand one's life issues. If one has an attitude that one is looking to resolve, don't avoid the issue. Or, one may be overzealous about resolving issues in waking life, in which case the dream may be saying, 'Back off.'"
Beyond analysis, what cultural symbolism can be found in dreams about teeth falling out?
The cultural symbolism is likely related to the dreamer's culture, says Nicoletti. "In some societies, aging may be accepted as natural and to be expected. Losing teeth in connection with aging would not be an issue." For Westerners, it's a different story. "In the West, aging is feared and repressed as much as possible," he says. "Losing teeth in the West, therefore, would be a graphic illustration of a metaphorical death sentence or reminder of death."
Who tends to have dreams about teeth falling out most frequently?
"It's just as likely for young people as old people to have dreams about teeth falling out," says Nicoletti. "Such dreams run fully across the spectrum."
What details might make dreaming about teeth falling out more significant?
It's not just about the teeth, sometimes it's about the kind of teeth. "If it's a gold tooth that falls out, that would hold significant value," says Nicoletti. "In Jungian terms, gold is symbolic of one's wholeness. Of the Self -- capital S. That includes one's personal shadow, that side of one's self that is the opposite of one's persona, of one's conscious attitude. So a gold tooth falling out might be some reflection that one's life path was being detoured -- a reflection of one not fulfilling one's destiny, in the sense that a person is meant to fulfill one's capability."

Richard Nicoletti, J.D., was a lawyer for 37 years before retiring in 2000 and going on to study at the Jung Institute of Boston. He currently lives in Keene, New Hampshire, where he has taught classes at the Continuing Education Program at Keene State College and practices Jungian psychotherapy at Monadnock Family Services, as well as his own private practice

Teeth In Movies- Bohemian Rhapsody!

The Man Behind Freddie Mercury’s Teeth in ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’

Arts 29 days ago REPORT

The Man Behind Freddie Mercury’s Teeth in ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’

If you thought Rami Malek’s teeth were big in “Bohemian Rhapsody,” consider this: They could have been even bigger. The giant prosthetic choppers the actor wore to help bring Freddie Mercury to life were made in different sizes, including a set that were the actual size of Mercury’s teeth, but they were a little too large for Malek’s face.

This and other biting tales came from an interview with Chris Lyons, the tooth-maker extraordinaire with the British company Fangs FX. The artist, 55, has been making teeth for movies and TV shows for decades, amassing hundreds of credits and fitting stars like Tilda Swinton, Meryl Streep and Johnny Depp with memorable creations. He even made gold fangs for a Doberman in a Kanye West video.

While Lyons’s work usually plays a supporting part in productions, it moved into a starring role in the new Queen biopic. In an early scene, Mercury’s bandmates-to-be are skeptical about his ability to be a frontman with such a mouthful, but Mercury suggests that having four extra teeth, which gave him his overbite, is a musical benefit.

[Read our review of “Bohemian Rhapsody.”]

Here, Lyons, who fabricated discolored teeth for Malek in the prison-drama remake “Papillon,” talks about creating a set of Freddie Mercury teeth in gold, contributing to the recent “Star Wars” movies, and making a larger-than-life replica of Björk’s mouth.

Here are edited excerpts from that conversation.

How do the teeth work to shape Rami Malek’s mouth the way they do in the film?

They’re big teeth and they’re a little bit buck, so they stick forward slightly. When they go in Rami’s mouth, it pushes his lip forward to give him that overbite look and makes it look more like Freddie’s mouth.

Freddie was very self-conscious about his teeth and was often trying to hide them with his lip. Rami loved that, because he had to work to hide these teeth as Freddie did.

What are they made of?

Dental acrylics, basically. If your nan had false teeth and she takes them out and puts them in the glass beside her bed, it’s similar material to that. But each tooth has been handmade in layers to get the colors and to fit Rami. Nothing’s stock.

And how do they fit on?

We don’t use fixatives. They just go on the front of his teeth behind his lip. That’s it. Because the minute you go over the biting surface of your teeth, it will affect the way you talk and you won’t be able to close your mouth. Whereas Rami could close his mouth fully because none of my teeth were on the biting surface of his. They literally just clip in and out in seconds.

We did varying sizes going all the way up to Freddie-sized teeth. When we did the first big test and presented it to [the director] Bryan Singer, that’s when we realized if we went for the full-sized teeth, they were going to be far too big on Rami because of his size. We scaled it down so that everything matched with Rami’s face and features.

The teeth for this film are big, but you’ve made a wide range of tooth sizes throughout your career.

We can make teeth as thin as .1 of a millimeter, or fangs that are an inch thick. And we make gold teeth. Rami asked me to make a set of Freddie teeth in gold for him. I made him a little stand for them. He wanted to keep them at home, because it’s not a common character to play.

What would you use the really thin teeth for?

If you’re playing a character who’s living in the wild or a vagrant or something like that, your oral hygiene is pretty bad. So instead of painting on your teeth, which would affect continuity, we can take a thin material, paint that up, you clip it in and suddenly your teeth are discolored. When we did Tilda Swinton in “Suspiria,” she’s got them in. She’s one of my regular customers.

What kind of tooth work have you done that we wouldn’t notice?

I’ve done all the new “Star Wars” and their spinoffs, and I haven’t noticed one set of our teeth in any of the films yet.

What was one of your most difficult undertakings?

That would be on Tim Roth, for the film “Youth Without Youth.” The shot was going to be, he’s in hospital and the doctor was going to put his finger in his mouth. And they wanted every tooth in his head to be loose, like wobbling. It took me two months to work out how I was going to do it. We must have made four or five different sets before being happy enough with one we could present. I couldn’t believe it worked in the film. 

A Great Article on Antibiotic Prophylaxis to prevent Infective Endocarditis-UPDATE

Study supports the use of antibiotic prophylaxis in high-risk dental patients

November 5, 2018, University of Sheffield

Credit: CC0 Public Domain

New research has revealed the impact a change in US guidelines had on the prescribing of antibiotic prophylaxis (AP) to prevent a life-threatening heart condition infective endocarditis (IE) in patients before undergoing invasive dental treatment.

The findings of the international research provide further evidence that the UK's National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) were wrong to call for a complete ban on the use of AP before invasive dental procedures – even for those considered to be at high risk of IE such as patients with artificial or repaired heart valves or a previous history of IE.
The study is the largest and most comprehensive research into the 2007 American Heart Association's (AHA) recommendations that AP should continue to be given to patients at high risk of developing IE, but not to those at moderate risk.
The research showed a large fall in AP prescribing for those at moderate risk of IE (64 percent). However, it also identified a concerning fall in AP prescribing to those at high risk (20 percent) – despite the AHA's recommendation that high-risk individuals should continue to receive AP before invasive dental treatment.
In parallel, the study also identified a significant increase in IE (177 percent) in those at high risk but only a barely significant increase in those at moderate risk.
Lead author, Professor Martin Thornhill from the University of Sheffield's School of Clinical Dentistry, said: "Although the data do not prove a cause-effect relationship between AP reduction and IE increase, they are very supportive of the AHA recommendation to give AP to those at high risk but not to those at moderate risk of endocarditis."
"It also provides further evidence that the 2008 NICE recommendation that AP should cease completely in the UK, was probably wrong and should be changed."
Professor Thornhill added: "Current NICE guidance on the use of AP to prevent IE is confusing and unhelpful for clinicians and patients, and probably wrong."
"In the absence of clear and sensible advice from NICE, the recent attempt by the Scottish Dental Clinical Effectiveness Program (SDCEP) to provide advice for dentists about how to implement the NICE guidelines – effectively suggesting they follow the AHA recommendations, is very welcome."
IE is a serious infection of the heart valves with high morbidity and mortality – 30 percent of people die within a year of being diagnosed. Previous studies have shown that approximately 40 percent of cases are likely to have been caused by bacteria from the mouth.

A large number of people with pre-disposing cardiac conditions are at increased risk of IE and some patients, for example those with prosthetic or repaired heart valves, previous history IE or certain congenital heart conditions, are at high risk of developing IE.
Consultant Cardiologist and co-author of the study, Mark Dayer from Taunton and Somerset NHS Trust, said: "The recent implementation advice by SDCEP is a timely recognition that the patient has the right to be told the arguments both for and against prophylaxis and decide whether or not they wish to take it. To my mind, the data in this study further supports the use of prophylaxis in patients at high risk of endocarditis, as recommended in America and across the rest of Europe."
Since the 1950s, the main method for preventing IE world-wide has been to give those at increased risk AP before invasive dental and medical procedures.
A lack of evidence for the efficacy of AP, concerns about the risk of adverse reactions and the development of antibiotic resistance has led guideline committees to gradually reduce the number of situations where AP is recommended.
In 2008, however, NICE recommended the complete cessation of AP in the UK, despite a lack of evidence for or against AP efficacy.
In contrast the majority of guidelines committees across the world, including the American Heart Association (AHA), recommended that individuals at high risk of IE should continue to receive AP but it should stop for those at moderate risk.
In 2015, research conducted by Professor Thornhill and his team published in The Lancet (doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(14)62007-9), found that the 2008 change in NICE guidelines had led to an 89 percent fall in AP prescribing in the UK.
This pioneering research also showed there had been an increase of 35 IE cases per month since the guideline change. As a result, NICE reviewed their guidance but continued to recommend against AP.
The new study provides further evidence to support the advice given by the AHA, and most other guideline committees around the world, that those at high risk of IE undergoing invasive dental procedures should receive AP. It also supports the advice recently published by the Scottish Dental Clinical Effectiveness Program (SDCEP), about how to implement the NICE guidelines – which tells dentists to discuss and offer AP to patients at high risk of IE, just like the AHA guidelines.
The results of the study will be published online in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

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Why Do I Need My Wisdom Teeth Out?

This is what can occur if you leave an impacted wisdom tooth in place too long.  The impacted wisdom tooth can cause decay to the good tooth that it is in contact with ahead of it.  In this case the decay is too deep to repair and both teeth need to be removed.  Please see your dentist to discuss if your wisdom teeth need to be removed.

When should your child have his/her first visit to the dentist?

The Canadian Dental Association recommends the assessment of infants, by a dentist, within 6 months of the eruption of the first tooth or by one year of age. The goal is to have your child visit the dentist before there is a problem with his or her teeth. In most cases, a dental exam every six months will let your child's dentist catch small problems early.

Here are 3 reasons to take your child for dental exams:

• You can find out if the cleaning you do at home is working.
• Your dentist can find problems right away and fix them.
• Your child can learn that going to the dentist helps prevent problems.

Your dentist may want to take X-rays. X-rays show decay between the teeth. They will also show if teeth are coming in the way they should. Your child's dentist may also talk to you about fluoride.

Once your child has permanent molars, your dentist may suggest sealing them to protect them from cavities. A sealant is a kind of plastic that is put on the chewing surface of the molars. The plastic seals the tooth and makes it less likely to trap food and germs.

When your child goes for a dental exam, your dentist can tell you if crooked or crowded teeth may cause problems. In many cases, crooked teeth straighten out as the child's jaw grows and the rest of the teeth come in.

If they do not straighten out, your child may have a bite problem (also known as malocclusion). This can cause problems with eating and with teeth cleaning. It can also affect your child's looks and make him or her feel out of place.

Your dentist can suggest ways to treat this, or refer your child to an orthodontist. An orthodontist is a dental specialist with 2 to 3 years of extra university training in this area.

The dentist says my child needs a filling in a baby tooth. Since the tooth is going to fall out, why bother?

Some primary (or baby) teeth will be in your child's mouth until age 12. The tooth that needs to be fixed may be one of those.

Broken teeth or teeth that are infected can hurt your child's health and the way your child feels about him or herself.

To do a filling, the dentist removes the decay and "fills" the hole with metal, plastic or other material. A filling can be a cheap and easy way to fix a problem that could be painful and cost more later because it stops decay from spreading deeper into the tooth.

If a filling is not done and decay spreads, the tooth may need to be pulled out. If this happens, your child may need a space maintainer to hold space for the permanent tooth.

When a baby (or primary) tooth is missing, the teeth on each side may move into the space. They can block the permanent tooth from coming in. To hold the space, your dentist may put a plastic or metal space maintainer on the teeth on each side of the space, to keep the teeth from moving in. 

The take home message is don't wait too long before that first visit!  Remember, within 6 months of the eruption of the first tooth or by one year of age!