Healthy Alternatives
Holistic Dentist Providing Full Service Dental Care
24 East Main Street
Chillicothe, Ohio 45601
740-775-5544
Dedicated to Your Health and Appearance
David Ball, DDS, AIAOMT, MAGD
Fluoride in the Public Water: Is it Helpful or Harmful
Should We Reduce the Amount or Eliminate it?
Do you or someone you know have mottling on their teeth as seen in this picture? Do you know what that is? It is called Dental Fluorosis.
Q. What is Dental Fluorosis?
A. Dental Fluorosis is a chronic condition caused by an intake of too much fluoride during childhood, while teeth are forming.
Q. Is there really such a thing as too much fluoride? I thought fluoride was great for your teeth!
A. Well, let's start by asking another question:
Q. What is Fluoride?
A. Fluoride, specifically the fluoride added to most tap water in America (fluorosilicic acid), is a chemical, a corrosive acid that is captured in gas form by air pollution filters of the phosphate fertilizer industry, turned into liquid form and put into our water supplies. It is also used in pesticides and rat poison.
Q. What about fluoride in toothpaste? Does that help prevent cavities?
A. There is some evidence that topical treatment of fluoride helps kill bacteria in the mouth. However, the amount of fluoride that is absorbed through the tissue even when brushing and spitting out the toothpaste, adds to an overabundance of fluoride in the body's system, which can cause problems not only with teeth, but with bones, organs, even the brain.
Q. Doesn't it prevent cavities?
A. Research in the last twenty years has shown that fluoride in the water system does NOT prevent cavities.
Excess Fluoride causes...
Q. Does fluoride affect everyone the same way?
A. No. A fluoride concentration of 1ppm may not affect one person, but could harm others. Infants, individuals with kidney disease or nutrient deficiencies and persons with excessive thirst are at greatest risk of suffering from fluoride poisoning.
Q. What should I do?
A. Do your homeowrk on fluoride. Fluoride Action Network (FAN) www.fluoridealert.org, has up-to-date information about fluoride and its concerns.
The most effective methods of preventing cavities are: eating a well-balanced diet, limiting refined sugar intake, and effectively brushing your teeth at least twice daily.
Q. How much fluoride is good for you?
A. Well, none. Your body and teeth do not require ANY fluoride at all to function well...other cultures and lifestyles have done well without.
Q. How much fluoride is bad for you?
A. The American Dental Association (ADA) and the Center for Disease Control (CDC) both recomment lowering the fluoride level to .7 part per million (ppm) from research in 2006 on dental fluorosis. (Ross County Water currently has 1 ppm.) However, research in the last two decades has shown that fluoride accumulates in your system. Half of the fluoride you ingest exits through your kidneys, but half REMAINS in your teeth, bones, pineal gland and other tissues, including blood vessels, acccording to the Fluoride Action Network and numerous other studies and research all over the world.
Additionally, because many of our foods are grown and processed with fluoridated water, many of the foods we eat bring our daily intake of fluoride to levels that can exceed safe exposure as set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
-For more information about dental fluorosis, go to fluoridealert.org/issues/fluorosis
-Read The Fluoride Deception, by Christopher Bryson
-Be aware that you can buy toothpaste without fluoride. Fluoridated toothpaste has 1000-1200 ppm fluoride.
-Make sure children under 3 do NOT use fluoride toothpaste (read the warning label on fluoridated toothpaste!) Fluoride is more concentrated in toothpaste, and young children tend to swallow toothpaste instead of spit it out.
-Bottlefed infants should not use tap water to mix formula. You need to use pure non-fluoridated water...distilled or reverse osmosis.
-Ask yourself: why do we have fluoride in our public water systems?