Water Fluoridation in Wichita

A family who is passionate about having healthy teeth!

 About a month ago, my son had his first visit to the dentist.  While I know some of you take your kids to the dentist long before this, ours does not see them until age four and I am guessing this is because its when he went on our insurance.  Anyway, I was nervous for him.  The kid had been to the dentist to watch me go through cleanings, etc since he was born and I have to say, it wasn't pretty.  Up until about age 3 he threw the biggest screaming fits and the poor ladies in the office would do whatever possible (including fill up his tummy with freezie pops) to get him to calm down.  So driving to our dentist that day, I was a little on the nervous side.  I mean, the kid had to sit in the chair by himself and get his teeth cleaned.  With the little tools that look like torture weapons.  Well, he did great.  No problems and picked the zebra polisher and cinnamon tooth polish all by himself.  Then came the bad news.  Two cavities.  In a four year old.  Are you kidding me?  But there they were.  I have looked at enough dental xrays in my life to know no one was pulling my leg.  I was furious at myself.  I felt we had brushed his teeth like we should have, didn't feed him excessive amounts of sugar/juice, etc and took care of his teeth.  I instantly thought of my experiences in the chair getting fillings and began to panic for my son.  How could we, his parents, have let this happen?  The hygienist explained that the cavities were not in between his teeth where food can get stuck and cause cavities if not brushed or flossed out.  The cavities were in the middle of his teeth.  Could be brushing but since we felt we were doing a good job in that department I didn't believe that was the problem.  So explain to me how a four year old gets cavities?  Then the dentist told me.  Wichita does not have fluoride added to their water and this is the cause of lots of tooth decay in the area.  Possibly my son's.  Since Wyatt's birth, we have lived in two towns outside of Wichita, both of which use Wichita water for our supply.  I. WAS. FURIOUS.  How can something so simple and inexpensive not be done to prevent tooth decay in my kids ( In comparable cities to Wichita, it costs 50 cents per person per year to fluoridate the water)? 

Mike and I talked at length about it and figured out that we have both had way more cavities since moving to this area than anywhere previous.  Both of us grew up with fluoridated water.  So I started doing research and I ask that you do to.  Below is some information I want to share with you and I welcome any comments.  Talk to your dentist about it too.  I truly believe this is an issue that any parent in the Wichita area should be well versed on and while I know each of us has our own beliefs on supplements to our family's diets, I believe you will agree this is one that is a must.

Following my son's fillings, both of which he was a champ for, our dentist told us our son's teeth are hard like chalk instead of hard like granite.  Thus, more susceptible to tooth decay.  He was put on a fluoride supplement to hopefully catch the permanent teeth forming in his mouth and make them stronger.  This has been an eye opener for our family and should be for yours.  I can't believe how much money, stress, time and teeth could have been saved if Wichita had fluoridated their water.  Fluoride is not a poison, it is a mineral that is a necessity for healthy teeth!

Information on Fluoride  www.fluoridefor.us/low-cost/

I encourage you to email your city council members regarding this issue.  They are currently split on the issue with one undecided.  The more parents emailing them with their stories, the better.  Use the form at this link and select Entire City Council under choose a council member you want to contact.

Email the Wichita City Council

Thank you for reading!