PitLuvs said:
Personally I think if they are so worried about peoples dental abilities, then allow these people to see a dentist! In Nova Scotia, if you are on any type of Assistance from the Government, your dental is not covered unless you are seen by an ER and it's deemed an emergency by a professional. Your medications can be covered by MSi, but you need to pay the fee to see the dentist. I know a simple tooth removal is $200 here, people who cannot afford toothpaste cannot afford that.
People who are on social services are usually covered by Quick Card at the dental office in Nova Scotia. This covers emergency treatment ie Pain/Infection/Swelling. They will also cover fillings on the front teeth and fillings on some back teeth if the person is having pain. The patient does NOT have to go to the hospital first. Quick Card usually covers approx 90% of the fee. A simple extraction costs around $107 plus X-ray plus exam which is usually around $165 all together. So the patient needs to have about $16-$20 to cover their portion.
PitLuvs said:
Since I got the brita at Christmas, I have been pushing my kids to drink water over pure juice. My youngest has white spots all over her teeth that we have noticed in the last 3 weeks. I am reading that is linked to fluoride? Thats not something I signed up for, having my child's teeth discolored.
Dental fluorosis is a condition whereby too much fluoride was incorporated into the tooth structure when it was forming. So, for example, if your child is 6 years old and when her adult teeth erupted they showed signs of fluorosis, she had to have consumed too much fluoride when she was around 3 - 4 years old when the crown of the tooth was formed. You CANNOT drink enough water at the recommended level (0.7 PPM) to get fluorosis. She would have had to ingest it some other way, like eating toothpaste every day.
If your child has just developed spots on her teeth recently, then it is not fluorosis, but more likely decay that is starting. Cavities are caused by acid, and by eating sugar that is converted into acid by bacteria on teeth. It is great that you are trying to get your kids to drink water as juice can cause decay. (Pop is the other really bad thing for your teeth.)
Children are covered by MSI until their 10th birthday, so you don't have to worry about paying to have children taken care of.
I stand by my pro-fluoride stand - I use fluoridated toothpaste, use a fluoride mouthwash, and drink the local water, which doesn't have fluoride added but has enough chlorine to run a pool!
However, SQ told me that anything in the water is bad for my ratties, so I bought a distiller for my rats' water. 'Cuz I loves them...
