There was a news report out recently on the increase of fluorosis in kids. That means they’re getting too much fluoride, mostly from water, soda,and juice, but also from toothpaste, mouthwash, and yes, the dentist. It’s estimated that 41% of kids age 12-15 have it and 30% under age 12 do too. I’d say that’s a lot. Interesting though is that the “experts” say that getting too much fluoride (fluorosis), is not serious as it’s only a cosmetic condition that results in tiny white flecks or streaks on teeth and it can be treated with whitening procedures. Who believes that? (Probably most people.)
Fluorine, as well as bromine, chlorine, and iodine are a group of elements known as halogens. Consuming too much fluoride, chloride (from water sources), and bromide (high in bread, cereal, pasta, soda) competes with iodine, a necessary mineral for thyroid hormone production, energy production, as well as health of the ovaries, uterus, prostate, and breast tissue. Iodine is also necessary for a healthy immune system.
So yeah, too much fluoride is not a good thing, regardless of what your teeth look like. On January 7, 2011 the EPA released an announcement to lower the recommended fluoride levels in municipal water supplies. But if they really cared, they’d get rid of it entirely. The World Health Organization (WHO) has shown no difference in cavities in those living in countries with fluoride in their water, compared to those who do not have it in their water supply. And the fluoride added to water is not “natural” like you may find in very doses in some foods and ground water – it’s a byproduct of industrial manufacturing, and it’s toxic.
So enough of the fluoride. My kids have never had it and they have never had a cavity. It’s not in our well water, our toothpaste, and our dentist doesn’t use it. I’ve seen a few kids over the years given fluoride pills from their dentist because they drink well water with no fluoride in it. That’s absurd to say the least. In every instance the kid is toxic in the fluoride. But the same goes for adults. It’s not needed in your toothpaste or water or anything else you’re consuming. Your teeth are a great reflection of your health and diet – a diet in refined carbohydrates (sugars and juices) and low in minerals such as calcium and especially phosphorus, as well as poor health from too much overall stress – has a whole lot more to do with cavities than fluoride. Keep it at the industrial plant.
This is a poorly reasoned piece:
1) The consequences of consuming too many fluorines has to be weighed against the consequences of not consuming enough. This has been studied for decades and the conclusion is clear. Fluorinating water has had a significant benefit with only minor negative consequences.
2) There are no reliable, properly sourced references here to the wild claims being made.
3) The claims that fluorines are toxic are absurd. Every chemical, including water, is toxic at some level. The level of toxicity for fluorines (where it would cause serious injury or death) is many orders of magnitude higher than what any human could acquire through drinking water (baring some bizarre accident). You would have to worry about water toxicity (dying from drinking too much water) long before you would have to worry about fluorine toxicity (dying from drinking too much fluorine).
4) Anecdotal evidence is irrelevant. I dropped my kid on his head a lot as a child. He later went on to test in the top .1% on an IQ test and graduate the top of his class from Harvard; therefore you should feel free to drop your kids on their heads as much as you want. . . The fact is, whether your kids had cavities is irrelevant (the logical fallacy of anecdotal evidence). What is relevant are all the scientific studies that show that fluorinating water reduces the occurrence of cavities.
Wild claims? About fluorosis? Or that fact that they’re a halogen and compete with iodine?
Of course everything is toxic at a certain level, some more (or less) than others. I don’t recall mentioning that someone is going to drink enough fluorinated water to actually die from it. Just because high amounts are clearly bad for you doesn’t mean lower amounts won’t affect you.
The point that my kids don’t get cavities is to say that you don’t need fluoride in the water to prevent cavities. There are other ways of accomplishing the same thing – one can have no cavities and do so w/o fluoride. And there are plenty of scientific studies showing the dangers of fluoride. Feel free to pass along a couple studies proving that fluorinating water reduces the occurrence of cavities. Share the “significant benefit with only minor negative consequences.”
Right now there are government-run school programs with fluoride in some areas like western VA. I see patients from there. The teachers are instructed to give the kids approx 1oz of flavored fluoride once a week. If the kid swallows the solution more than one time then they can no longer take it; it’s too toxic. There is no change in the dental health of the kids who take the fluoride compared to those who don’t because their diets are so poor and many only drink soda like Mt. Dew.