Shark Teeth

Since everyone is obsessed with Shark Week, let us turn our attention to the main source of fascination with these predators: their teeth. According to this article, shark teeth contain fluoride, a chemical found in tap water, toothpaste, and sometimes even bottled water. Fluoride has been a great source of controversy in this country, since many object to having their water fluoridated against their will. Has fluoride been responsible for the significant decline of caries since it was introduced into out water supply many years ago? Statistics say yes, but where do we draw the line? Should pediatric doctors be prescribing fluoride pills to babies, hoping to strengthen their teeth in the future? This may be overkill if you want my opinion, but I think the fluoride debate will persist for many years to come. Getting back to shark teeth, I will tell you what sharks are doing right to avoid the cavities. They avoid soda, food and beverages containing high fructose corn syrup, as well as refined carbohydrates. Nature designed our teeth to last for a lifetime, but we humans have created ways to get around this.