Is fluoride bad for you

Answer 1

Fluoride is not bad for you. It is considered by most public health experts to be one of the major advances in public health of the last century. Unfortunately, it has become politicized and the target of internet conspiracy theorists. What one must remember is that everything is toxic (even water and oxygen) at high enough levels. "The dose makes the poison" and so when reading the claims of people citing support to the claims of the evils of fluoride one must pay attention to make sure they are not citing industrial exposures, high dose supplements, etc etc.

• It does reduce tooth decay dramatically.
• It saves society money by promoting better health.
• It is associated with less gun disease, which may be a contributing factor in Heart disease.
• Nearly all dental fluorosis (mottling of the teeth from too much fluoride) is from eating toothpaste or taking too much supplementation in pill form, not from drinking water.
• There is no credible evidence that it causes cancer.
• There is no credible evidence that fluoride from drinking water causes osteoporosis or fractures (taking high dose pills can and studies of drinking water are on-going).
• There is no credible evidence that it causes birth defects, ADD or other toxicity at the doses found in water.

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Answer 2

Floride is in most tap water in the United States, brushing your teeth in the shower shouldn't be any problem. If your really concerned about it, watch for rashes, though it's doubtful any will appear.

Answer 3

How Much Ingested Fluoride Do We Need?

The answer is "none."

1. The absence of fluoride in the diet or on the teeth does not cause

or result in any disease. Dental decay is not due to the absence of

fluoride. For good health, the body does not "require" any fluoride.

Fluoride is not an essential vitamin, mineral or element.

2. Nature did not provide infants with fluoride. Mother's milk has

almost no fluoride in it, 0.004 ppm average in nonfluoridated areas

and in some mother's milk the fluoride is not detected. Does the

City have evidence that mother's milk is defective and nature is

flawed in protecting the infant from fluoride?

3. The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) is concerned that 0.25

mg of fluoride is too much. The FDA required toothpaste warning is

not to swallow a pea size amount. A pea size of toothpaste

contains 0.25 mg of fluoride, the same amount as one glass of

Fairbanks fluoridated water. If the FDA warns not to swallow 0.25

mg of fluoride, the City of Fairbanks should not force everyone to

swallow more.

4. No randomized controlled trials have been done to determine how

much fluoride is a benefit.

5. The research available on fluoride's systemic benefit is poor with

"mixed" conclusions.

6. Suggestions of 0.05 mg/kg/day or about 3 mg for women and 4 for

men of fluoride is the level of fluoride at which some are

experiencing harm of dental fluorosis and medical problems.

7. The appropriate amount of ingested fluoride should be the same

goal as arsenic and lead, zero.

Answer 4

fluoride can be helpful in low doses. fluoride is actually added to your drinking water in order to reduce cavities, the only danger of too much fluoride is fluorosis or a discoloration of your teeth.