We Need Fluoride in Water

This letter to the editor, by Pam Fricke, appeared in the Hudson Star Observer on December 25, 2025.

If you’re a Baby Boomer like me, you probably recall seeing those Polident denture cleaning TV commercials. A series of aging movie stars advocated for a, “mouth-freshening clean.” Maybe you even remember your grandparents taking their false teeth out at night. How scary it was to see a full set of dentures sitting in a glass of water (undoubtedly with a Polident tablet)? Both of my paternal grandparents had full sets of dentures, as did their son, my dad, while my maternal grandmother had a “partial.”

Losing our teeth was incentive enough for me and my sisters to brush our teeth without reminders and to willingly go for our semiannual dental checkups. What I didn’t know at the time was that I was in the first generation of Americans to benefit from fluoride added to the drinking water.

The practice began in 1945 in Michigan and spread across the country. It so revolutionized dental health that it was recognized by the CDC as one of the great achievements of the 20th century.

Why on earth would we even consider eliminating fluoride from our drinking water? It would increase the number of tooth cavities in children by billions and add even more to the staggering healthcare costs that Americans have to pay. Is this what New Richmond parents want for their children and wallets?

Thankful that I have all my original teeth, I’ll be voting in April to keep fluoride in New Richmond’s water.