UPDATE: In a unanimous vote, the Village of Wellington council voted 5 to 0 to add fluoride back into the water supply Tuesday night.
Council members heard from more than 40 people both residents and experts on both sides of the argument.
Every local dentist who gave public comment was in favor of adding fluoride into Wellington's drinking water.
Fluoride was removed from the water supply two years ago.
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ORIGINAL STORY:
As a dentist, Laurence Grayhills says fluoridated water doesn't just make his job easier - he says it makes his patients healthier.
“Fluoride actually, when it's ingested by children during the developing stages of their teeth, actually replaces the calcium on them and replaces the tooth,” he says.
It's been two years, however, since fluoride was removed from the water supply in Wellington.
Grayhills, who is also the president of the Florida Academy of General Dentistry, says you'll start to see the effects of that eventually.
“You're going to see a higher rate of cavities pop up in this population, especially the kids with their sports drinks, their energy drinks.”
Tuesday night, the council was set to resurrect the fluoride debate - discussing whether or not it should be put back in the city's water supply.
While many dentists like Grayhills are all in, some residents are out.
A petition passed around town shows dozens of residents pushing back against fluoridation.
"I don't want my son exposed to harmful chemicals," one resident says.
"Don't poison our water," says another.
Then there's the case of JoAnn Johnson.
A chronic medical condition makes her skin sensitive to fluoride.
“This is like someone taking pliers and ripping your skin off,” she says.
The vote to take it out two years ago gave her relief she says, but she's worried that could change.
“During the time we had fluoride I had to bathe outside, which I'm telling you is not right,” Johnson says. “I just want them to not put fluoride in my water.”
