As a Dentist, please allow me to say that

[PCIntern]

If you're going to post on dental topics, the first thing you must do since you're pretending to be experts is to spell the technical words correctly- to wit:

FLUORIDE (not flouride or floride or flooride)
CAVITIES (not cavaites, cavitees, or cavitis)

The second thing to do is realize this: people used to DIE ROUTINELY FROM DENTAL INFECTIONS and it will happen again if breakdown is allowed to happen throughout the population.

The third thing is that you cannot ask people to self-medicate with fluoride reliably. There are many many reasons for this. Read a public health textbook if you want to see all of them.

The fourth thing is that morbidity and mortality involving dental breakdown is enormous. You need to read up on that concept as well, although it is not as complex as particle physics, it is not simple. Risks vs. Benefits and all that.

The fifth thing is that you may not care what happens to others - I and almost all my colleagues do. We have put ourselves in a giant economic hole by advocating public health measures and we are proud of it. Please don't tell me what your dentist charges and all that stuff. That's for another day and another thread.

The sixth and final point I wish to make is that you'd be surprised how people's health has improved during the 30+ years of my practice - I have seen remarkable progress in healthiness of the elderly due in no small part to the ability for them to retain their teeth.