There’s a lot of misinformation and fear-mongering about fluoride


Happy US Election Day to all who celebrate! Hopefully, we are merely hours away from history being made in the United States. (Fingers crossed!) At the very least, we’re hours away from the end of all of the annoying political calls, texts, and ads from this election cycle. As you know, Madam Vice President has surrounded herself with smart and competent people while The Former Guy has basically let all of the worst people run wild with disinformation and propaganda. He’s also promised people like Elon Musk and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. positions within his next administration.

As Kaiser talked about yesterday, RFK Jr. has said that under a Trump administration, the government would remove fluoride from America’s public water system. Why is there now an attack on fluoride? I truly have no idea other than that brain worm really did do some damage. Contrary to now popular MAGA belief, fluoride is not the public health enemy that they’d have you believe it is. Fluoride has actually long been considered good for public health because it’s a naturally occurring element found in water that also happens to help fight cavities. Yahoo has compiled a little ‘what to know” about fluoride:

What is fluoride? Fluoride is an element that’s naturally found in rivers, lakes and oceans, as well as in some foods and drinks, according to the American Dental Association (ADA). “It is also added to public water supplies,” Dr. Michael Kosdon, a dentist at Smiles of NYC, tells Yahoo Life. Fluoride is known as “nature’s cavity fighter,” according to the ADA, and it’s often added to dental products, including toothpaste, to protect teeth from cavities.

What does fluoride do? Fluoride helps to strengthen your teeth, Rebecca Henderson, associate professor in The Ohio State University College of Dentistry, tells Yahoo Life. “Teeth, like bones in our body, are composed of minerals —primarily calcium and phosphate.” When someone has cavities, bacteria feed on refined carbohydrates that you eat and produce an acid byproduct in your mouth, Henderson says. “This acid removes minerals from our teeth, breaking down layers of tooth structure and eventually leading to a hole or a cavity in the tooth surface. Fluoride helps to strengthen the tooth surfaces by returning and preserving the lost minerals in our tooth, preventing a cavity from forming.” Research has found that adding fluoride to water reduces the amount of tooth decay in young kids by 35%.

Can fluoride be harmful? Fluoride is beneficial, say experts. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it’s considered “one of 10 great public health achievements of the 20th century” thanks to its ability to prevent tooth decay. However, too much fluoride can cause fluorosis, “which presents as white streaks or blotchy white patches on the enamel,” Kosdon says. “These chalky areas are known as decalcified enamel and [in severe cases] are much weaker and prone to cavities.”

Fluorosis is not harmful: In most cases, fluorosis is cosmetic and isn’t harmful to your health. According to Henderson, it’s more common when children use multiple sources of fluoride over a long period of time. That can include drinking water with fluoride, using and mistakenly swallowing fluoridated toothpaste and taking fluoride supplements. “Having knowledge of the fluoride level in your community water system and the other amounts of fluoride your child under age 8 is ingesting is the key to preventing dental fluorosis,” she says.

You’d have to drink a ton of fluoride to come close to toxic levels: There are claims online that fluoride is poisonous, but experts say that’s a stretch. Excessive amounts of fluoride can be harmful, but it’s rare and typically happens in young children. The ADA notes that you would have to drink five liters of water for every kilogram of body weight at once to have fluoride toxicity — which is a toxic amount of water. On a cosmetic level, it is nearly “impossible to drink enough water that contains fluoride to actually create any discoloration,” Dr. Mark S. Wolff, dean at the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine, tells Yahoo Life.

70 years of research: The ADA also says this about having fluoride in water: “Water fluoridation is safe, effective and healthy. Seventy years of research, thousands of studies and the experience of more than 210 million Americans tell us that water fluoridation is effective in preventing cavities and is safe for children and adults.”

Should anyone avoid fluoride? There are some populations who shouldn’t have fluoride. “I would definitely avoid fluoride in infants younger than six months,” Kosdon says. Using fluorinated water in baby formula may also increase the risk of mild fluorosis, according to the ADA. Kosdon adds that people with kidney disease may also need to avoid high levels of fluoride.

How to know if you’re getting the right amount of fluoride: Fluoride in community drinking water systems is regulated at the state and local level, Henderson says. If you drink water that’s not from a well, you’re getting at least some level of fluoride in your tap water. In fact, 75% of fluoride intake comes from drinking water with added fluoride and from food and beverages, such as sodas and fruit juice, made with fluoridated water, according to the CDC.

It’s beneficial for your teeth: “For adults and children over the age of two, drinking fluoridated tap water, along with following instructions for daily use of toothpaste with fluoride, creates the best chance for the tooth to be strong enough to prevent tooth decay,” Henderson says. “For children under the age of two, a doctor or dentist should be consulted on the use of fluoridated toothpaste.” (In general, typically, a toothpaste smear the size of a grain of rice for children less than 3 years old, and no more than a “pea-sized” amount of toothpaste is recommended for ages 3 and up.)

For the good of public health: If you’re unsure about your fluoride needs, it’s worth checking in with a dentist for personalized recommendations. However, experts stress that there’s no need to be scared of fluoride. “Public water fluoridation is seen as one of the leading public health measures, saving millions of dollars in dental care and decay and pain in people of all ages,” Wolff says.

[From Yahoo Life]

All of this information mirrors what our pediatrician has told us since my older son was born. Sigh. Sometimes, it really does feel like we’re living in the dumbest timeline. I know it’s human nature to question things or be a contrarian, but it’s just insane that this is something that they’re coming for. Then again, why wouldn’t Republicans think that fluoride is bad when they don’t even understand how masks work or believe that climate change is real? I mean, Make Cavities Great Again, #amirite?!

RFK Jr.’s policies have Republicans all riled up about how the government is finally going to do something about all of the preservatives and otherwise unhealthy crap that’s in our foods. It’s not like their own elected officials have purposefully deregulated health and safety standards while defunding agencies like the FDA that exist to keep our food and drinking water safe. I’m old enough to remember when they went after Michelle Obama for trying to tackle this very problem.

Also, on a quick personal note, for the past eight years, I have learned a lot from reading the comments on CB’s political posts. I was dealing with a personal tragedy during the summer of 2016, so I wasn’t as engaged until the very end, and a lot of it was inspired by what y’all had to say on here. So, if you feel like what you have to say doesn’t matter, please know that it does. There is always someone who is listening. We’re all in this together, fluoride and all.

photos credit: Mart Production, Jep Gambardella, Cottonbro Studios and RDNE Stock Project on Pexels

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18 Responses to “There’s a lot of misinformation and fear-mongering about fluoride”

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  1. D says:

    There have been crazy people railing against the fluoride in water for decades. It’s a plot point in the film Dr. Strangelove. A general who is going crazy is convinced that fluoride is a communist plot to destroy America. There is a famous speech he gives in the film but I assume it is based on talking points that people were making back in the 60s. It’s been a topic for conspiracy theorists of all kinds for decades and we know JFK Jr. is a major conspiracy theorist.

  2. KH says:

    I’ve only met two people in my life who were opposed to fluoride. Interestingly enough, both were Republican men. I recall the first one toting the dangers of fluoride with three whole teeth in his mouth. The second consistently has dental issues. No matter how much I’d tried telling them the lack and fluoride (and flossing) was the reason, they’d tell me it was a “conspiracy theory” and “yada yada calcified pineal glands”…

    • Jensies says:

      In Portland, Oregon, one of the most progressive cities in the country, they lose every vote to add fluoride to the water. As a result, every dentist knows when you’ve grown up elsewhere because your teeth are great in comparison.

      • Mayp says:

        @jensies, I grew up in Portland Oregon, am female, have good teeth, could not be more liberal, and have always been against the addition of fluoride in water.

        Growing up, my siblings and I never had one cavity. Not one. I didn’t have a cavity until I moved away from the area. Good dental hygiene, a healthy diet and, yes, a toothpaste with fluoride will give you everything you need for a healthy set of teeth. Mind you, we did not have a diet laden with sugar.

        My mother only ever had one bumper sticker on her car, ever. And that was during the beginning of the fluoride debate and her bumper sticker read: Flouridate sugar, not water. “. The issue, as I remember it, in the beginning, was mostly opposition to the addition of a chemical to drinking water when there had been no long-term studies of its effects on humans. In addition an awful lot of people felt that adding fluoride simply to improve the teeth of the population was not necessary. But then, back in the day, people’s diets were not as sugar-laden as they are now. My feeling was always: brush and floss your damn teeth people, and don’t make those of us with good dental hygiene practices have to ingest a chemical because you are too damn lazy.

        Just the thoughts of, and a little perspective from, a liberal female from Portland, Oregon.

  3. Truthiness says:

    There are Superfund sites leeching dangerous pollutants into the ground, air, and water and some people want to focus on … fluoride? Reminds me how TFG’s administration didn’t care about lead in the water in Flint, MI.

    • ML says:

      Truthiness, This is truly heartbreaking! ❤️‍🩹 If the “poisonous substance” like lead, Round Up, PFAS, sewage, etc, makes a bleep-ton of money or would cost a bleep-ton of money to correct, then certain politicians have absolutely no issue promoting its use.

      If on the other hand we’re talking about healthcare (vaccines or in this case, fluoride), then it’s a conspiracy. Oral health is extremely important: poor health is linked to several diseases like diabetes, heart disease and Alzheimer’s. Once you get a cavity, at certain points in your life, you will need to have maintenance on the fillings: they need to be removed and replaced. The bad bacteria also leads to low level inflammation (hence other diseases). Fluoride has proven to be a very effective low-cost weapon in fighting tooth decay (and indirectly other nasty illnesses). Listen to your doctor and dentist, not Republiscums for your health and well being!

  4. lanne says:

    The anti-fluoride thing parodied in Dr Strangelove goes back to the John Birch Society, a far right, nativist organization in the US that claimed that fluoride was a communist plot. Fluoride in the water improves public dental health. There are many evidence-based studies that kids who drink fluoridated water have fewer cavities.

    There’s a misinformation campaign that seems designed to destroy American progress. Anti fluoride, anti vaccine? Anti reproductive health care? That means a weaker, sicker populace. The Soviet Union couldn’t plan a better Destroy America campaign than the one that could succeed right now. Apartheid Clyde is already the wealthiest man on earth. Does he need to participate in the destruction of an entire country to assume even more power than he has? What are his orders from Putin anyway?

  5. lgtrent says:

    Thank you for this post. My husband is a dentist, and folks in our town several years back politicized fluoride, spread incorrect and fear-mongering ‘information’ about it, and the voters voted to have it removed from our water supply! He has definitely seen an increase in cavities over the last 8-10 years because of it. Seriously though, why would the ADA and local dentists advocate for something that creates more business for them if it wasn’t good for public health and the greater good? So frustrating, and we are not sure where and how to even begin to advocate for its return…

  6. SK says:

    Dentist here. I’m shaking my head in disappointment. Every so often I have a patient who does not “believe” in fluoride so they have a water filter and use toothpaste without it. They usually have more tooth decay as a result. Fluoride is safe but some people choose to believe the conspiracy theories about it.
    Critical thinking is lacking in these people and they are gullible

  7. salmonpuff says:

    I live in Oregon where very few public water systems have fluoride in the water. I’m at the age when I have to replace the multiple, multiple fillings I received as a kid. And my kids have had lots of cavities, too, even though they’re diligent brushers and flossers.

    A few years ago, Portland proposed fluoridating the water, and I was so excited. Unfortunately, the “don’t add chemicals to our water” people fear mongered their way to victory.

    I was feeling very hopeful yesterday, but today I’m scared and arranging my schedule for maximum distraction.

    • Kristiec says:

      This is so interesting re Oregon. My parents moved us to southern Oregon when I was eight for the first six years we had well water and then we moved to Medford which doesn’t add flouride to its water. I moved to a large city – with fluoridated water – for college and stayed. I have had to fill at least eight cavities! My kiddo is 25 and just had her first filling! God these people want to take us backwards! I think being super religious has something to do with it – at least in my family’s case – like they believe that god created a perfect human. My father got a brain tumor and passed after only eleven months and they spent a ton of money replacing his mercury fillings. He also eschewed conventional treatment until the very end – opting instead for experimental heat treatment in Germany and a ton of supplements and coffee enemas. It was tragic to watch. Anyway, please if you’re there god, make Kamala president!

      • salmonpuff says:

        My husband grew up in Oklahoma and never had a cavity until he moved to Oregon after college! But the anti-vaxx, anti-fluoride contingent is strong here and I can’t imagine we’ll ever get fluoride…

    • Dara says:

      Sometimes I wonder if the “no chemicals” crowd knows exactly how many chemicals are added to their drinking water before it comes out of their faucet. Fluoride is probably the least scary substance on the list, and guess what? If those chemicals weren’t there, the water would be unfit to drink. I consider myself to be a green earth girl, but even I know there is a limit.

  8. Zoe X says:

    I read a lot of “new age” type material because I’m interested in the topics of reincarnation, soul growth and enlightenment, also UFO’s etc. I don’t take much of it to heart, I just find it interesting.

    In New Age thought (with a venn diagram that includes various conspiracy theories and spiritual beliefs) there is a STRONG belief that somehow consuming fluoride calcifies the pineal gland in the brain, and new agers believe the pineal gland is where the soul is anchored in the physical body, so that by calcifying the pineal gland, it’s preventing us from opening our “third eye” and gaining enlightenment. I think is how the story goes. (I do not believe any of this, btw). So fluoridation of the water is a sinister plot by dark forces that would seek to keep human souls imprisoned in an endless cycle of reincarnation on this “prison planet”.

  9. StaceFace says:

    I grew up in a small city with fluoridated water. At 32 I got one shallow cavity which my dentist sort of “buffed” out and remineralized with prescription toothpaste. My new dentist recently said, “Wow, you have all your teeth!” On the other hand, some ppl got mottled teeth from it. Their teeth had brown spots that sort of ate away at the enamel. I don’t know why the difference.

  10. L says:

    My mom made sure we had all the fluoride supplements as children and I’ve only had one or two small cavities filled at 18. I’m 40 now and the dentist always comments at my “hard” and healthy teeth. I’m pretty bad at flossing consistently too so I’m not extremely dilegent about my oral hygiene haha.

  11. Lau says:

    They don’t care about the damage that will be done to their teeth because they are not real.