WV has a lot of bad statistics associated with it.  We deserve some of the bad press, but I think I have an explanation for one problem in the state.  You see, WV leads the nation in tooth loss. Apparently some 43% of folks in WV aged 65 or older have had all of their teeth removed.  It’s not widely known, but belts are outlawed in WV.  Older folks typically obey the law.  So, a person faced with a sealed beer bottle and no belt buckle with which to open it will naturally turn to the bottle opener God gave him.  Tooth loss among WV’s older folks simply a matter of the anti-belt lobby which is so strong here in WV.

Among younger folks, I have a harder time explaining tooth loss.  My daughter lost (i.e. I pulled) another tooth last night.  She’s lost 5 teeth since March,  Only 1 of those has been replaced by a new adult tooth.  So, Abigail is nearly toothless here in WV.  What could possibly be causing such change in her?  Surely she isn’t getting older on me.  No, there must be something else going on here causing young people to lose teeth…