Tired of being mired in decay

Editor:

(Re: “Not all smiles for fluoride treatment,” page 3, Jan. 19)

Poor children with dental decay need access to a dentist. It is widely written that dentists avoid state-insured children because of very low government reimbursement rates — $.30 to $.35 cents/dollar. The obvious solution is what fluoridated New York City and other fluoridated cities have been doing for years — sending mobile dental vans to the locales of need.

The 1993 Journal of Public Health Dentistry said, “50 percent of U.S. Head Start children have had baby bottle tooth decay.” Published dental literature repeatedly confirms that fluoridated water does not reduce this rampant decay of poor children wrought by sleep-time use of baby bottles and sippy cups. Sugary fluids remain on the backside of upper teeth and destroy the enamel. Fluoridated since 1954, a Denver dentist reports 300 cases of bottle/sippy cup decay a year. Another Denver pediatric dentist stated, “The sippy cup is the worst invention in history.”

The obvious solution is education, education, education.

Maureen Jones
Archivist Citizens for Safe Drinking Water
San Jose



Knocking their blocks off

Editor:

I notice some rich people with big driveways are at it again (“Knocking their spots off,” Jan. 22, page 1). They don’t want the employees of nearby businesses parking on their private street. If they own the street, as they seem to think they do, they have every right to keep the riff-raff from using it ... just as long as they promise to not patronize those businesses.

Let them go miles away to shop, forget the convenience of the local businesses and the employees who can’t afford to live in the area.

Mike Kirwan
Venice



Parking on the spot

Editor:

Thank you for running the article regarding parking headaches (“Knocking their spots off,” Jan. 22, page 1). As a resident of Third Street, between Strand (Street) and Hollister (Avenue), I can’t stress how ridiculous the weekend parking situation has become. The severe parking strain is so great that it often dictates how residents spend their time.

Businesses need to step up and become good neighbors. For example, instead of promoting free parking on adjacent streets, as the Yoga Works Web site does, why not redirect patrons to the abundant metered parking within the same radius? If patrons are really that hard up for change for the meter, offer to reimburse their dimes, as Broadway Cleaners does.

Obviously, we want people to come to this area and spend money, but this has become a serious quality-of-life issue. And as construction on several new apartment buildings in this neighborhood nears completion, it is only going to get worse.

Libby Carlson
Santa Monica