Our teeth have a vital role biting and chewing. Teeth are essential and are as important as our skin, but our skin cannot be replaced fully. Our skin absorbs water for moisture and nutrients and absorbs water whether in the bath or in the shower.

Teeth break down whatever goes in the mouth for consumption. The stomach, intestines and other organs work hard to take out the nutrients and toxins (we don't excrete), then send the excess off to the cleaners, the kidneys, to get rid of them through the bladder.

The real nutrients, along with toxins we don't want, are sent off to the other vital parts like our brain for regeneration or damage.  

We cannot live without our organs, but we can live without our teeth. False teeth can replace the original teeth. My dad had false teeth from his 20s and died at 83 years old.

I am not making glib of our teeth. I don't wish false teeth on anyone or children to suffer great pain as much as I don't wish any organ transplant. What I am saying is we need to put teeth into perspective. Yes, teeth need to be looked after. They can't look after themselves.

What we need here in Oberon is (what the Health Department has done recently now that the debate is on) a dental clinic where families can take their children for six-monthly check-ups, dental care and dental hygiene education.

I believe free for the first years, until all the six-year-old molars come through. It is clear that with education and dental care this brings good results. The question is: will the dental clinic stay for the longevity? No. Personally, I hope I am proven wrong.  

To say we are doing it to help the low socio-economic and elderly is an insult. Bad teeth crosses all groups.

For most, there is no excuse today for being uneducated when it comes to teeth. There are some who just have bad genes and there some who are lazy and don't get off their backsides to clean and teach their children about teeth and mouth hygiene.

The very elderly and ill are, in most cases, a different issue, but on the whole, people do not have an excuse these days. Clean mouth, clean teeth and good diet brings good health. They all go hand in hand. Sugar foods and drink are acid that destroy the protective layer of teeth.

I believe fluoride affects our brain, thyroid and many other parts of our body. Our wonderfully created human body make-up is not geared to take daily doses of toxins, especially factory waste toxins.

This toxin, environmentally dangerous, will also go into the environment and into our rivers by being filtered through us and the tap water we don't use. On its own, the waste product cannot go into the environment in any way, shape or form.

If you think children are going to drink the water, think again. My children wouldn't drink the water unless it was disguised with fruit juice. Why do you think there are advertisements at times, especially in Sydney, about the wonderful water? It's because most people buy water or end up drinking soft drink or fruit juices. 

The summary from the International American Dental Association for Dental Research (https://www.hcbi.nim.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3144112/) makes a definite reference to cell stress and cell death and calls for further studies to be done to identify human populations who are susceptible to fluoride. I cannot believe the health department doesn't know of this.

There was also a letter in the Irish Medical Times in February in which the letter-writer wrote about the link between fluoride levels and Alzheimer's Disease (https://www.imt.ie/opinion/letters/link-fluoride-levels-alzheimers-disease-22-02-18/). I believe I am a high risk candidate for Alzheimer's disease or dementia as the article describes. Are you?