Dunedin Cosmetic Dentist Talks About Florida Teen That Lost Arm to Alligator

So, unlike up north and out west, our kids can't just jump in a lake or creek and go swimming. Gators aren't just our local college team, they're predators lurking in our water.

Yes, large parts of Florida are made up of swamp land. Yes, swamps are the natural home of alligators. So you're probably thinking, "don't go swimming in the everglades- duh." The problem is worse than that, largely due to human interference.

We love to adopt pets we have no business having. How many silly twentysomething would be Jeff Corwin guys keep poisonous snakes? How many wannabe conservationists adopt baby tigers and lions? How many stupid Floridians adopt baby alligators, and then when, shockingly, they grow up, dump them in a lake or canal? More than we realize.

Now, let's look at Kasey Edwards who was swimming with his friends in  Okeechobee (Northeast of Dunedin, on the other side of Orlando). He wasn't swimming in the swamp, he was swimming in a canal.

He is now missing an arm, thanks to an alligator. Kasey is blessed to have escaped with his life, and he can chalk part of that up to his ingenuity. First, Kasey hung on to a buoy line so the alligator couldn't drag him under into a death roll. Secondly, Kasey poked the alligator in the eye. The alligator let go and Kasey swam to safety. Good for you Kasey! Smart thinking!

It is a fact that no matter the species, we will instinctively protect our eyes. Remember that scene in "Digital Fortress" by Dan Brown? Where the intel guy flies his micro-spy camera into the eye of a scientist getting too close to the truth? The scientist lets go of the ledge to swat the thing from his eye and lets go of the ledge, falling to his death.

Anyhow, stop putting alligators in our lakes and canals!

So, I pretty much run an  alligator free office. Call at 727.733.1175 or visit www.allaboutsmiles.org for your FREE exam and xrays! See you all tomorrow!