Is Fluoride Good For Your Teeth?

I can assure you that the conspiracy theories are just that, conspiracies. “But I read that fluoride was harmful to us?”. You read right; fluoride can be harmful to you. Below, we will go over everything, starting from the beginning. So, take out your reading glasses because this is going to be a good one.

The Government Put Fluoride In Our Water:

History has shown that governments have done, do and will do questionable things. They are after all led by people just like you and me. However, I would rather have the government put fluoride in our water than my crazy neighbor Dan. He does tell great stories though! Love you, Dan!

In 1945 Grand Rapids, Michigan, adjusted the fluoride content of its water supply from 0.7 milligrams to 1.0 mg. This made Grand Rapids the first city to implement community water fluoridation. Currently, over 72% of the U.S population served by public water systems has access to fluoridated water.

Why Was Fluoride Added To Our Water Supply?

First, you should know that all water naturally contains some fluoride. So, why was more fluoride added to our water supply if water already has some fluoride in it? The answer is simple! The government knew that they could control the masses by adding fluoride to our water! Ok, I promise this will be my last joke.

In all honesty, I don’t think there’s any way to control the masses, have you been paying attention to the last few years!?

Fluoride has been proven to protect teeth from decay. Also, fluoride has been shown to help your teeth’s enamel by helping rebuild and strengthening it. Fluoride helps prevent the formation of cavities.

After Grand Rapids, it was discovered that children who drank water with higher concentrations of fluoride had healthier teeth than their peers who drank water with much less fluoride.

Because our diets changed and sugar became a big part of our lives, it was common for people to have dental issues, remember our George Washington blog? The government concluded that by putting fluoride in our water supply, we would all save money.

How Fluoridated Water Saves Money:

1. Since fluoridated water helps fight cavities, adults would lessen their need for dental treatment.
2. Children would also have fewer dental issues, which means less visits to the dentist, saving parents money.
3. Finally, because we as a population (at least most of the population) have fluoridated water, our healthcare systems saves a ton of money.

As a result, fluoridated water has contributed to a dramatic decline in tooth decay. In fact, fluoridated water has been named 1 of the 10 greatest public health achievements of the 20th century, by the CDC.

What Is Fluoride?

Fluoride is a mineral found in your teeth and bones. It is naturally occurring and can be found in:

• Water
• Soil
• Plants
• Rocks
• Air (crazy right?)

Since it has been shown to help protect teeth from decay, fluoride can be found in toothpastes, mouthwashes and other products associated with dentistry.

Is Fluoride Harmful?

Alrighty people, this is where we tackle the conspiracies head on, so put on your helmets cause here we go! Fluoride can be dangerous. For example, sodium fluoride, which is what’s used to fluoridate water can be harmful. That’s because if consumed, inhaled, or somehow ingested in large amounts it can be toxic to humans.

So why isn’t it bad when it’s in our water?

If you remember, above, we talked about how only 0.7 – 1.0 milligrams are put into our water. If you are somehow exposed to toxic levels of fluoride or sodium fluoride, that’s when it becomes a problem.

To find out more about fluoride, how they calculate how much fluoride is considered toxic based on your body weight, here’s this very informative link.

The amount of fluoride that is in water and dental products like toothpaste and mouthwash, does not present any harm to us. Remember fluoride is naturally in spring water.

Here’s a cool video from a science channel. It goes over some things we went over and other things we didn’t cover:

Is Fluoride Good For Your Teeth? – Conclusion

Is fluoride good for your teeth? Yes! It has saved generations of people from tooth decay and other health issues that may have compounded from bad oral health. It has saved us all a bunch of money in healthcare. In fact, many countries use fluoride in their water.

Some argue that fluoride in drinking water is no longer needed, especially in more developed countries. Access to healthcare is readily available and today’s dental products are easily available at extremely affordable prices. Education on oral health has also helped decrease tooth decay.

Finally, while fluoride may no longer be needed in our drinking water, it isn’t bad for us. You can be exposed to high levels of fluoride, but not from our drinking water. Many dental products use fluoride for its benefits.