Fluoride safety

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If you’ve heard any of the controversy over Fluoride safety, you’re probably as confused as I was on whether or not it is safe to drink it in your water or brush with it in your toothpaste. I hope this post will help you figure it all out.

NOTE:  links to the natural toothpaste we use are below.

Guess who was first?

I came across a piece of very interesting information recently as I was doing more research for this post. According to the National Cancer Institute, the first city to implement community water fluoridation in the U.S. was right here – Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1945. “By 1992, more than 60 percent of the U.S. population served by public water systems had access to fluoridated water. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) considers fluoridation of water one of the greatest achievements in public health in the 20th century.” (It’s no surprise that I disagree with the CDC on this, too. WARNING: I’m going off topic for a little whining…the fact that one day they’ll insist on which vaccines our kids “must” have before they start school – the first shot given to newborns still in the hospital – and the next day one of those very immunizations are pulled from the market for safety concerns…don’t get me going! I’ll save that topic for another post…)

The same plan as always: hear me out, then you decide

The topic of Fluoride safety is just like so many others, there are heated debates from both sides. I’ll do what I always do: explain how and why I came to my conclusions, and you can take it from there.

Is Fluoride a good thing?

You don’t have to go far to find the many arguments “for” the benefits of Fluoride, just ask your doctor or dentist for starters. Recently I spoke to an orthodontist and asked his opinion, I wasn’t surprised that he agreed with conventional thinking on the topic. He told me that since this area began community-wide water Fluoridation, tooth decay has decreased significantly. He also said he notices a definite difference in those with well water vs. city water, although he did say some patients come in who drink well water and have teeth that still look great. “They must really brush well”, he said. I asked if he didn’t think good nutrition (less refined and processed foods, etc.) might play a role along with genetics. He agreed that both were probably true. (I also asked him if he’s heard of Weston Price. He thought the name sounded familiar…a good start anyway.) Most dentists agree that Fluoride can be dangerous in higher amounts and remind us not to swallow our toothpaste, but they say the amount we’re getting in our drinking water is at a safe level.

Or is Fluoride a bad thing?

For the opposite side of the debate, ample arguments “against” Fluoride can be found by doing a Google search with the words, “Fluoride safety“. Here you’ll read about those who want it taken back out of our drinking water and about the evidence linking Fluoride with many health issues. (Thyroid dysfunction, increase in bone fractures, arthritis, bone cancer, nervous system disorders like Alzheimer’s disease and attention deficit disorder-ADD.) Read the links below for more information.

The bottom line for our family

Just as the author in this article so clearly stated in his conclusions, it is nearly impossible to figure out who is right. Although dentists aren’t convinced of the harm Fluoride can do and feel the benefits outweigh the risks, there is enough evidence for me to seriously doubt its safety. Once again, I had to use my criteria for getting to the truth. I asked, “What is more natural?” Adding something to water that doesn’t naturally occur there in the first place doesn’t sound natural to me. So here’s where we came down on the subject: we got rid of it.

• We use natural Fluoride-free toothpaste – see links below
• We got a new whole-house water system to be sure we weren’t drinking Fluoride (or Chlorine)
• We don’t get Fluoride rinses at the dentist’s office

Of course, as you know by now, we try to eat nutritious meals and we brush twice a day – most days anyway! So far no one has had any dental problems (hopefully this continues) and I feel better knowing we’re not ingesting something that could be harmful to our bodies. I hope you’ll take the time to read a little bit more on the topic below and decide for yourself.

THE PRODUCTS WE USE:

• Tom’s of Maine Natural Antiplaque Toothpaste, Cinnamint (Note: I buy our toothpaste through here for $3-4/tube because I can’t find the flavors our family likes at local stores. However, a friend told me that she gets other flavors at wholesale stores for only $2.50.)
• Tom’s of Maine Natural Fluoride-Free Toothpaste For Children, Silly Strawberry
• We also get aluminum-free deodorant through here: Tom’s of Maine Natural Long-Lasting Deodorant Stick, Unscented. (They also have Fluoride-free mouthwash you can get at that same link.)
• Jason Enzyme Brightening Gel Toothpaste, Peppermint: no flouride, no sulfates, no propylene glycol, no saccharin, no animal testing,no animal by-products.  Through this link you can also search for different flavors.
• Jason Natural Cosmetics Healthy Mouth, All-Natural Tea Tree Toothpaste, Tea Tree & Cinnamon – (also w/out the ingredients listed above)
• A listing of the amounts of naturally occurring Fluoride found in various foods (page 12)
• You’ve got to read this recent Reuters article on Fluoride safety
• Scroll down at this post for more on Drinking water and Fluoride safety
• I was told this is a great book on the topic: The Fluoride Deception by Christopher Bryson
• Questions on the safety of mixing baby formula with Fluoridated water
• What really causes tooth decay?
• Interesting post on tooth enamel regeneration
  

MORE POSTS:

• My Dark Secrets
• Are supplements necessary for good health?
• All sea salts are not the same
• Eating healthy without sacrifices
• Take your cod liver oil!

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