Fluoride

The Center for Disease Control has hailed water fluoridation as one of the 10 great public health achievements of the 20th Century.  In our office we have seen the tremendous benefits that come to your teeth and, consequently, your overall health, from having the optimal amount of fluoride in your diet. 

How was the amazing effect of fluoride on teeth discovered?  It is a very intriguing story that begins in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and ended in Grand Rapids, Michigan.  You can click here to follow a link that details how this discovery was made.  http://www.nidcr.nih.gov/oralhealth/topics/fluoride/thestoryoffluoridation.htm 

The topic of fluoridation is a lightning rod topic right now in dentistry.  You can find any number of "studies" and opinions on numerous websites touting the ill effects of Fluoride on primarily the brain.  And, while I do not wish to rag on peoples' personal experiences, I can say that, to date, "the weight of peer-reviewed scientific evidence does not support an association between water fluoridation and any adverse health effect or systemic disorders." (See the CDC website, http://www.cdc.gov/fluoridation/fact_sheets/cwf_qa.htm#23, for the full quotation).

We have the privilege of seeing patients, occasionally, who attend a local drug rehabilitation center.  The patients sent to this clinic have abused drugs for various amounts of time, depending on individual cases.  One of the findings that is typically seen in drug addicts is debilitated teeth (lots and lots of cavities).  However, most of the patients we see from this clinic are from areas of the country where the water is fluoridated and we see minimal amounts of decay in these peoples' mouths.  While I cannot prove that their general good oral health is due to the fact that many of them are from fluoridated areas, it is interesting to compare their oral health to that of so many other people we see of the same age who have lived here their entire lives (where the water has no fluoride).  On average, people who grew up here have between 300% - 500% more fillings in their mouths than the people from this drug rehab clinic.

Fluoride helps protect teeth from cavities.  Period.

So, since we live in an area where water is not fluoridated, are your teeth doomed to cavities?

No.

There are still multiple options out there available to you to help give your teeth the fluoride they need.  Make an appointment to see us and we will be happy to review what fluoride needs your teeth, and your children's teeth, may have.

Keep Flossin'!

Dr. Dave