Imagine being sick. No, imagine someone you would die for being sick. Plus the disease they have is incurable. You would do anything for them and let them do anything that might help them, including spending their last dime – which might also be your last dime.

From what I can tell, you can accomplish this goal with “Dental Revision” – not the curing goal – but the giving their bank account a-completely-cleaned-out-bill-of-health goal. While I am not a dentist or even a scientist, I am someone who has people I would die for to save their life. At some point I might have to make decisions while being emotionally challenged. I will need to make a decision using all the evidence I have at my disposal. While a dentist, medical doctor or scientist might help guide me and you, we will be making the final decision.

Cargill claims they can sweeten us up without ruining our grins and gums. The FDA has sided with the big food ingredient and grain company, listing Cargill's Xtend brand with 11 other sweeteners that are considered safe for teeth. While I give them an A for effort, it’s amazing how hard some companies work so we can keep faking ourselves out about dental health.

Next thing you know we will be able to take a pill that lets us believe we are going to the dentist on a regular basis. And candy bars will be sprinkled with a tooth fairy dust so we can (with a straight face) tell others we ate a meal of broccoli and cauliflower. Finally, if this does not get us in the mood to be better stewards of our natural enamel, advertisements will make us think we would eat mashed bananas and peas even if we had teeth.

The new movie Sicko by Michael Moore , which I have only seen trailers of and read an article about, depicts our health care system as at least seriously wanting if not wholly un-American in its pathetic distribution and effectiveness. Michael presents damning medical care statistics and tragically demoralizing and "hard to believe we could do this to our fellow American" real life stories. Unfortunately, dental care is another cliff Michael Moore could jump off and not hit bottom on for "many are going to die-harder" sequels.

Hollywood movie making and partisan battles aside (or not), we need to really take a look at what we are doing with this Laissez-un-faire health care system and the policy driving it.

There is damage being done to our fellow citizens, the nation's national security, and to many of us. By sitting on our hands and waving the "everyone is on their own" flag so much, we forget about what is most important: keeping as much of the almighty dollar in our own pocket as possible! In God, Greed (and lots more consumer) Goods We Trust.

Okay, I forgot what we are really forgetting. But I will get to that and a link to damning dental health statistics in the next section. Tragic real-life dentistry destruction stories as in the aforementioned movie will be left until we (hide the hard truth from us) Americans have the stomach for them.

Get Damning Dental Health Statistics and some partisan jabbing here (and left hook there) reading the rest of this dental blog.

You have probably heard the “let’s do it our way” state-by-state argument derived from constitution versus Supreme Court squabbles over the last 150 plus years. Kids and their dentistry should not be part of this botched up disunited concept.

While dental care distribution is not a specific constitutional argument, it is hinged on this same go-it-alone mindset. Here is some background on how this state-by-state way of thinking and approaching issues has made a mockery of our union. The biggest misfiring was the supreme court's ruling protecting slavery. It was one of the first issues where the supreme beings let constitutional obfuscations get in the way of making this country a better place.

In consti-voluted scholar-speak, it goes something like this: each state has authority over their affairs in numerous ways, which the federal government cannot abridge, especially if we are actually trying to do something worthwhile for all Americans.

Still not sure what states’ rights has to do with dentistry? It might be difficult for me to tie it all up – but I like to make connections where no one else sees them. If you like it easy – surfing this half-pipe of a web blog diatribe might not be for you.

Mercury is a bad substance. It could have negative effects if you poured it over your cereal or cracked open a thermometer and drank it down.

However, there are some substances we can have small amounts of and still live a very healthy life. Acid is found in pop and in your car battery. I drink pop - too much so drinking the fluid from my car battery would probably not affect me as much as you - but actually drinking it would be bad.

So we know there is a limit. But is the mercury found in dental fillings (and that might be leaking out) going to kill you, make you talk funny, damage your brain, or something worse?

Well, it looks like those you who believe it is bad have the most to say and/or they proliferate because they are acting on some legitimate or irrational fear about it, which the naysayers do not have.

To give you "some idea" of where you can take your cue, I did a search and found some links to help start your navigation of this dental issue.