At Virtue Dental Care, we believe in educating our patients to ensure that they understand the benefits of a healthier smile and the consequences of poor oral health care. Our practice is centered on providing biological dentistry, which focuses on how crucial it is to maintain a beautiful, healthy smile, and how it can make drastic, positive changes in a patient’s health and well-being, including one’s self-esteem and confidence. Patients are given the knowledge they need to make educated decisions regarding their oral health care, and our practice and staff assists patients in obtaining the smile they’ve always wanted!
TEN FACTS ABOUT FLUORIDE YOU LIKELY DID NOT KNOW
Nearly 70% of the United States’ public water supply has fluoride added to it. In many cases, people are unaware that the water flowing from their kitchen faucet contains fluoride. They are even less aware of the hazards it can present, or why they should oppose it being added to their water. The top ten reasons water fluoridation should be opposed include:
- Consent – When fluoride is added to the water supply those who drink the water are denied their right to be informed and consent to taking a medication.
- Not essential – Fluoride is not essential to your health. Neither humans nor animals need fluoride for biological process. In fact, it can interfere with biological processes and vital cellular constituents.
- Children are over exposed to fluoride – Dental fluorosis, the appearance of white lines and streaks, occurs among younger children who consume too much fluoride – from any source – over a prolonged period as their teeth are developing. Severe cases of fluorosis can only be treated with restorations such as porcelain veneers.
- The fluoride found in water supplies is a hazardous by product from fertilizer – International law prevents them from being disposed of in the sea and they have never been subjected to clinical trials to verify if they are safe and effective. Fluoride is classified as an “unapproved drug” by the FDA.
- Swallowing fluoride may be harmful – Swallowing fluoride has been linked to soft tissue damage such as kidneys, brain, and endocrine system. It has also been shown to be harmful to the teeth, causing dental fluorosis, and the bones, resulting in skeletal fluorosis. Several studies have shown a connection between modest fluoride exposure and children with a reduced IQ. Of the 24 studies that have been conducted at least, two show that the fluoride levels in water may be high enough to result in damage.
- Fluoride taken internally at best provides little benefit to the teeth – Advocates for fluoride agree that for fluoride to be of benefit to the teeth it must be applied topically, when taken internally it provides little to no benefits.
- Mothers’ breast milk has extremely low levels of fluoride – Breast milk contains 0.007 ppm of fluoride – a very small amount. Even nursing mothers who consume high levels of fluoride pass only a small portion of that mineral on to their babies.
- NO controls or monitoring of fluoride levels – After public water has had fluoride added to it, there are no tests to monitor the levels of fluoride in the public that is drinking it. No data is collected regarding adverse effects or accumulated exposure.
- Some aspects of the population are more vulnerable to the negative effects of fluoride – The elderly, infants, diabetics, along with those who have low calcium or iodine and anyone with kidney disease are vulnerable to the adverse effects of fluoride being added to the water supply. Black and Mexican Americans are more prone to developing severe forms of dental fluorosis.
- Low-income families often cannot afford fluoride free alternatives – Bottled water and reverse osmosis are the only way to avoid fluoride when the public water supply has been treated but for those who have limited financial means, this is frequently not an option.
Contact Us
Virtue Dental Care Patients: (336) 679-2034
New Patients: (336) 606-0040
Courtesy of: The International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology