The Fluoride Conundrum

So, most of us know that if you really want to protect your health, you will probably have to read a label or three on your favorite foods. It tracks that the same treatment should be applied to any product you are planning to put in your mouth. Products like Listerine and toothpaste should probably be given the same level of scrutiny as the foods you eat. The simple reason being that anything you put in your mouth will result in some of that thing being absorbed and/or swallowed. Most of our dental hygiene products contain dozens of chemicals we aren’t particularly familiar with but what about the star chemical that dental professionals have recommended for decades? In fact, if you had to name one chemical you know is in your toothpaste at home, it would likely be this one. Let’s say it together: Fluoride.

Fluoride has been touted by dentists for decades as the main chemical responsible for preventing dental decay and cavities but is this chemical really safe? For starters, fluoride is a known neurotoxin. In some cases it’s ingestion has lead to the dysfunction of the immune system as well as a decrease in sperm count. It can and has also cause premature puberty and gastrointestinal problems. You might also be familiar with a common issue in adolescent known as fluorosis. Those suffering from fluorosis will have whitish discoloration on the surface of their teeth, a sign that they are getting too much fluoride. This is more common in developed countries like the US where it is common for cities to add fluoride to the general water supply. There are even places where fluoride is added to the general supply of salt or milk. So convinced that everyone is better off ingesting some amount of fluoride to their system, many governments have taken steps to make sure that as many people as possible are regularly exposed to fluoride.

The question is, do the benefits of fluoride outweigh the detrimental effects of regularly consuming and exposing ourselves to a neurotoxin? The dental community seems split on the issue with some refusing to perform fluoride treatments or push fluoride products in their practices. For the time being, the best we can do is to consider our own levels of consumption and make sure we aren’t exceeding what is considered a safe daily amount (0.7mg/L by the CDC). Since we may be getting our fluoride exposure from multiple different sources, it is important to realize that our consumption amount is unique to our daily experience and it is our responsibility to adjust if we are consuming too much of this controversial toxin. As more links between Fluoride and cancer, dementia and other often fatal illnesses come to light, it will be interesting to see what the final word is on the fluoride conundrum.

Resources:

CDC - MWF - My Water's Fluoride Home 

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2020/04/why-fluoride-water/606784/