“Are we doing fluoride today?” is a common question you can expect after a dental check-up or cleaning. Your dentist will then coat your smile with a flavorful coat. It is well known that fluoride helps teeth become strong and durable. However, does fluoride have its downsides? Perhaps you’ve heard the controversies surrounding the mineral and wonder if it is safe for your teeth. Wonder no longer. Here we address the fluoride question in depth.
What Is Fluoride?
Fluoride is a mineral found naturally in small amounts in soil, water, and a variety of foods. Trace fluoride that is absorbed through the gut is stored in the teeth and bones. This happens more readily in adults than in children, when bones and teeth are already formed. Neither the EPA or FDA have established a Recommended Dietary Allowance for fluoride, but the current maximum enforceable drinking water standard for fluoride is 4.0 mg/L. A much lower non-enforceable standard is 2.0 mg/L, a concentration that may be safer for children.
Where Is Fluoride Found?
Fluoride is naturally occurring and can be found in things like tea, coffee, oatmeal, and potatoes which absorb the mineral from the soil. It also collects in the shells and muscles of shellfish. Most people get their fluoride intake from toothpastes and drinking water. Though it can usually be found there naturally, fluoride is sometimes added to the water in some areas of the US. Mouth rinses, varnishes, gels, pastes, vitamin supplements, pharmaceuticals, industrial emissions, and pesticides may also contain small amounts of fluoride.
Does Fluoride Help or Harm Your Teeth?
Fluoride helps strengthen tooth enamel. It remineralizes tooth surfaces, which can prevent or even reverse tooth decay. Decay occurs because of oral bacteria, which are drawn to sugar and other carbohydrates especially. The bacteria produces acids which eat away at tooth enamel, the hard outer surface of teeth. Fluoride cannot repair cavities, but by strengthening enamel, fluoride helps to prevent them from forming.
Fluoride can also strengthen other bones. It can help reduce the risk of skeletal fluorosis, which causes pain and tenderness in the joints. The effects of fluoride are highly dependent on the amount of exposure. While fluoride helps strengthen the calcium deposits in the body, when ingested, it can lead to problems.
Why Do People Avoid Fluoride?
There is a movement to avoid the fluorination of water and other products. This is because fluoride is toxic when ingested in high enough concentrations. The result is dental fluorosis, which causes tooth enamel discoloration in the form of white spots. Dental fluorosis is indicative of too much fluoride in the whole body and affects children under eight most significantly.
In fact, children in general are more susceptible to the effects of fluoride because their bones and teeth are still forming. Excessive amounts of fluoride can lead to the pitting of tooth enamel in addition to other cosmetic issues.
In rare cases, true fluoride toxicity can lead to abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, joint pain, tenderness in the bones, or bone loss (skeletal fluorosis). Our understanding of the relationship between fluoride exposure and conditions like dental fluorosis, bone fractures, and skeletal fluorosis is ever expanding and updating.
Monitor Your Fluoride Intake
As a general rule, fluoride helps teeth stay strong and healthy. The key is the amount of exposure. Data suggests that the amount of fluoride exposure has increased within the last half a century, making it more likely for children (still growing and with an undeveloped swallow reflex) especially to become overexposed.
It is important to consult with your dentist about what is right for your and your children. You can help your dentist make an educated recommendation by monitoring the fluoride levels in your drinking water. Your dentist may recommend using bottled water for formula or taking fluoride supplements. If the latter, make sure you follow the recommended dose exactly.
You should also prioritize regular dental visits to make sure that your teeth are faring as they should under fluoride exposure. This is especially important for children younger than a year old or who have had their first tooth come in within six months. The CDC recommends that kids younger than six years old use a pea-sized amount of toothpaste when brushing to avoid too much. They should effectively spit out the excess paste and rinse well. Children can start using toothpaste with fluoride when they are two years old.