[ccppurcell]

My parents both have fillings in almost every tooth, my sister and I have none. Neither of us did anything particularly special, my parents were quite strict about sugar (for the UK in the 80s/90s) and we brushed our teeth twice a day. I never flossed regularly, though I have started doing it more in the last few years.

[bjourne]

Fluoridated drinking water may explain the difference.

[gcanyon]

Fun fact: I'm visiting Uruguay right now, and they have fluoridated salt here! (it's iodized as well)

[dtech]

UK tap water isn't fluoridated

[ljf]

Not strictly true: https://www.dwi.gov.uk/consumers/learn-more-about-your-water...

Quote:

The water companies that are currently required by the Secretary of State to fluoridate some or all of their water supplies are:

United Utilities

Northumbrian Water

Anglian Water

Severn Trent Water

South Staffordshire Water

[thorin]

This isn't entirely true: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/community-water-...

[dtech]

Your parents probably weren't brushing with fluoride toothpaste when they were young, since it only became near-universal in the late 60s in UK.

[asdff]

Kids ate like crap in the 60s and 70s. Everyone in my family from that generation has dental issues. Both sides of the family. Just from drinking soda like its water.

[ccppurcell]

Yes this is exactly my point. Simple lifestyle changes are really all that's necessary. I still see kids walking around drinking soda, I have to fight tooth and nail to prevent my little one from being given sweets and fizzy drinks on an almost daily basis (we moved to Czech republic, I don't want to be rude about my adopted home but the truth is they are quite behind on children's health and nutrition)

[Cthulhu_]

Fluoride treatments at the dentist and fluoridated tooth paste are a big factor in my area. A commenter also mentioned fluoridated water, which had the same objective, but it causes demineralization of teeth (fluorosis) and possibly behavioural / hormonal changes (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6520156/, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S001393512..., https://ec.europa.eu/health/scientific_committees/opinions_l... ). I'm glad fluoridization of water isn't a thing where I live.

[malfist]

First, fluorosis isn't demineralization of teeth, it's hypermineralization, way on the other side of the spectrum.

Second, you'll get water poisoning before you'd get fluorosis from tap water. I challenge you to find anyone who has gotten fluorosis from tap water alone

[monknomo]

So long as the tap water is correctly treated, it's not going to give you fluorosis, but in the event the plant breaks and no one is testing the water, it can happen

https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/article/where-water-turned-d...

[malfist]

Sure, their can be industrial accidents. But just because some company made a radiation therapy device that accidentally fataly irradiated people, doesn't mean that radiation isn't an effective treatment for cancer

[Suppafly]

Anti-fluoride people say the weirdest things.

[nedrylandJP]

"Have you ever seen a commie drink a glass of water?"