SOMETHING IN THE WATER
The Atlantic|April 2020
Opposition to water fluoridation, while often vocal, has been largely a fringe crusade. But solid evidence for fluoridation’s value is surprisingly hard to find.
Charles C. Mann
SOMETHING IN THE WATER
I BLAME my dentists. Not for poor dental care— Barbara and Gordon do great work. I blame them for sending me into a vortex of dento- epistemological anxiety.

On a tooth-cleaning visit not long ago, Barbara told me that in the late 1970s, when she attended dental school, her professors expected that most middle- class patients would lose a lot of their teeth and need dentures by the time they were in their 60s. Today, she said, most middle- class people keep their teeth until they are 80. The main reason for this, Barbara explained, was fluoridation— the practice of putting fluoride compounds in community drinking water to combat tooth decay.

For reasons I can’t now recall, I mentioned this remark on social media. The inevitable but somehow surprising response: People I did not know troubled themselves to tell me that I was an idiot, and that fluoridation was terrible. Their skepticism made an impression. I found myself staring suspiciously, as I brushed, at my Colgate toothpaste. STRENGTHENS TEETH WITH ACTIVE FLUORIDE, the label promised. A thought popped into my head: I am now rubbing fluoride directly onto my teeth. So why is my town also dumping it into my drinking water?

Surely applying Colgate’s meticulously packaged fluoride paste directly onto my teeth, where it bonds with the surface to create a protective layer, was better than the more indirect method of pouring fluoride into reservoirs so that people drinking the water can absorb the fluoride, some of which then makes its way into their saliva.

This story is from the April 2020 edition of The Atlantic.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the April 2020 edition of The Atlantic.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM THE ATLANTICView All
Saint Dismas
The Atlantic

Saint Dismas

Carlito held one end of the rope, Omar the other.

time-read
10+ mins  |
April 2024
Why Do Animals Play?
The Atlantic

Why Do Animals Play?

Scientists want an evolutionary explanation. But maybe the answer is simply: Its fun.

time-read
8 mins  |
April 2024
The Insider
The Atlantic

The Insider

Is Kara Swisher tearing down tech billionaires—or burnishing their legends?

time-read
10 mins  |
April 2024
A Bloody Retelling of Huckleberry Finn
The Atlantic

A Bloody Retelling of Huckleberry Finn

Percival Everett transforms Mark Twain’ classic.

time-read
9 mins  |
April 2024
THE SECRET GOSPEL
The Atlantic

THE SECRET GOSPEL

A Columbia history professor claimed that he discovered a sacred text with shocking details about the life of Jesus. Was it real?

time-read
10+ mins  |
April 2024
AFTER THE MIRACLE
The Atlantic

AFTER THE MIRACLE

Cystic fibrosis once guaranteed an early deathbut a medical breakthrough has given many patients a chance to live decades longer than expected. What do they do now?

time-read
10+ mins  |
April 2024
JODIE FOSTER'S LIFE ON-SCREEN
The Atlantic

JODIE FOSTER'S LIFE ON-SCREEN

SINCE CHILDHOOD, SHE'S STRUGGLED WITH ONE QUESTION: HOW MUCH DOES SHE WANT THE PUBLIC TO KNOW HER?

time-read
10+ mins  |
April 2024
THE END OF THE GOLDEN AGE
The Atlantic

THE END OF THE GOLDEN AGE

ANTI-SEMITISM ON THE RIGHT AND THE LEFT THREATENS TO END AN UNPRECEDENTED PERIOD OF SAFETY AND PROSPERITY FOR JEWISH AMERICANS-AND DEMOLISH THE LIBERAL ORDER THEY HELPED ESTABLISH.

time-read
10+ mins  |
April 2024
The Radio Squirrels of Point Reyes
The Atlantic

The Radio Squirrels of Point Reyes

\"Calling all. This is our last cry before our eternal silence.\" With that, in January 1997, the French Coast Guard transmitted its final message in Morse code.

time-read
2 mins  |
April 2024
THE GRUMPY ECONOMY
The Atlantic

THE GRUMPY ECONOMY

Why Americans trust feelings more than facts when it comes to prosperity

time-read
9 mins  |
April 2024