Learn The Real Story About Fluoride And HealthFake news is a hot topic these days. Sometimes, it’s genuinely hard to separate the truth from the myth and misunderstandings. What you need to do is focus on research, facts, and experts.When it comes to dentistry, that means calling us today at our Bridgeport/Trumbull dental office (
203-372-1220) or our Shelton dental office (
203-378-9737). Our dentists have the advanced training needed to know that fluoride really is both safe and good for your teeth. That’s why you can get fluoride treatments at either dental office.
Don’t Believe The Fake News About Fluoride
If you search online, you’ll probably find plenty of websites and memes from people claiming that fluoride is bad for you. To be honest, this fake news is nothing new. As soon as communities started adding fluoride to tap water, a few people decided this was bad and fought against it despite having no evidence.But there does seem to be a resurgence of late. Why? Usually, fluoride fake news is promoted for two reasons.
- People don’t understand fluoride. They mean well, and they’re really just trying to be safe and helpful. But they do not know the research or have training in using fluoride safely.
- A few want to sell you something. Some of those websites ask you to buy a copy of their ebook that promises to blow the lid off some vague conspiracy. Buyer beware.
How Fluoride Helps Your Smile
Then what does fluoride do that’s so good for teeth? Why does the American Dental Association support fluoride in dental treatments, toothpaste, and tap water? Because fluoride makes your teeth stronger.
- Research and experiments have shown repeatedly that fluoride makes your enamel stronger and more resistant to tooth decay and damage.
- Similar research has discovered that fluoride actually repairs tiny amount of damage done to enamel.
- Children can benefit from fluoride as well since it can strengthen the adult teeth even as they are still coming in.
Why Fluoride Is Safe For Your Health
Here are four reasons why fluoride is perfectly safe when used correctly.
1. Fluoride is a natural mineral.Some people throw out the word “chemical” to describe anything that’s not good for you. To be honest, almost everything is a chemical, even water. Just because something is a chemical doesn’t mean it’s not natural or healthy.Fluoride is a mineral just like potassium or iodine. It was never cooked up in a lab; it’s completely natural.
2. Very large doses of fluoride can hurt you.It’s true that fluoride can hurt you — if you take way too much! First, you could get white flecks in your teeth. These are harmless, but they don’t look great. That can only happen if you take a lot of fluoride, though.In the US, tap water has 0.7 milligrams of fluoride per liter. That’s because the research shows this strengthens your teeth without being harmful. However, some studies that “prove” fluoride is harmful use 8.0 milligrams of fluoride per liter. Yes, taking 10 times the recommended safe dose of something can be bad for you!
3. Fluoride comes in many forms.Without getting too technical, fluoride used to treat your teeth is very different from other kinds of fluoride. Toothpaste, drinking water, and fluoride treatments at our Connecticut dental offices are usually fluorosilicic acid or sodium fluorosilicate. Both are entirely safe for you.Put it this way. You would put salt on your french fries, but you’d never put pool chlorine on them. And yet, salt is a form of chlorine called sodium chloride. It might not look like a big change in the words used, but the reality is that they’re very different. The same is true for fluoride. While there is a version that can be harmful, very different versions are used for your teeth.
4. Fluoride is found naturally in rivers and well water.Because fluoride is completely natural, you can find it water naturally. In fact, that’s how people first got the idea that fluoride was good for your teeth. People who drank water with fluoride in it naturally had better, stronger teeth than those who did not.Some people worry about adding fluoride to tap water. First, it’s completely natural. Second, you drink milk (with added vitamin-D) and eat salt (with added iodine) without a problem.Fluoride is safe and good for your teeth. Call us today at our Bridgeport/Trumbull dental office (
203-372-1220) or our Shelton dental office (
203-378-9737) to schedule your next appointment with dentists who understand the science and research behind dental treatments.
