In late May, a Flint councilman took to the courtroom to spin a tale of political subterfuge and dental strangeness. He claimed that his DUI arrest was part of an attempt to get him out of office by his political opponents. He also claimed that his dentures might have skewed his breathalyzer results.
Conspiracy Theories and Courtroom Antics
On November 30, 2013, Councilman Eric Mays was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence for driving the wrong way down I-475. In court, he accused officers of lying when they stated that he said he had been out drinking Grey Goose vodka to celebrate his recount victory before he was arrested.
He also took out his dentures in the trial to help explain the fact that they might have interfered with the breathalyzer test. When asked about his approach, he said, “I had to prove my point to the jury. These people are not telling the truth and didn’t do a thorough job.”
He claims that the entire charge was brought up to try to get him to resign from his council seat, which he had just been reelected to with a vote of 710-702.
It’s worth noting that this whole situation is made crazier by the fact that although Mays was arrested on November 30, the recount didn’t take place until December 3. This undermines both sides’ stories. If the recount hadn’t happened yet, why would Mays be celebrating? And why would his enemies be plotting to undermine him if he might still lose the recount?
But it does raise the interesting question about whether your dentures could make you seem more inebriated than you are.
Do Dentures Affect Breathalyzer Tests?
Theoretically, dentures could affect your breathalyzer test. Some have proposed that alcohol can get caught up between your denture and the roof of your mouth, and when you blow into the breathalyzer, your breath runs over the alcohol, evaporating it and making an artificially high reading.
There’s been only one study looking at this issue. It found that if officers kept you under observation for the appropriate time, about 20 minutes before giving the test, the results would not be affected.
Some people dispute the findings of this study. DUI lawyers in particular maintain that dentures can indeed have an impact on your breathalyzer. They claim that this problem gets worse if you have food particles under your dentures, which can absorb alcohol and release it over a much longer period. One Georgia DUI lawyer even claims that a study found a person with dentures could just swish alcohol and blow over the legal limit , but he provides no citation.
With the possibility that your dentures may affect your breathalyzer, you might want to remove your dentures and rinse your mouth before taking the test. Or, even better, get dentures that fit well and create a good seal that prevents food and alcohol from getting underneath them.
FOY® Dentures are designed to be great-fitting dentures that prevent food and alcohol from getting underneath them. Not only can this make you more comfortable, prevent bad breath, and improve function, it may save you from a DUI.
To learn more about the benefits of The Denture Fountain of Youth® in Columbia, SC, please call (803) 781-9090 for an appointment with a denture dentist at Smile Columbia Dentistry.
