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Dr. Michelle Jorgensen
For decades, we have been told that fluoride is the cure for tooth decay, and the CDC has even named water fluoridation as one of the top 10 public health achievements of the 20th century.
That is the prevailing view among dentists today.
However, some studies are showing a different side that includes the potential shortcomings and dangers of fluoride.
So, what do I think?
Is Fluoride good for you?
Well, let’s start with some history.
In the early 1930s, a dentist named Frederick McKay noticed a peculiar trend among people living around him in Colorado.
Many of them had brown spots on their teeth, and his later research found that although these teeth didn’t look very nice, they were surprisingly resistant to decay.
He discovered that these people were drinking water with high levels of fluoride, which caused these brown spots.
This is known today as “fluorosis”, which changes the appearance of the teeth and potentially creates more decay-resistant teeth.
Subsequent research into this phenomenon found that small amounts of fluoride could reduce some tooth decay while not causing brown stains.
The government used these findings to conclude that it would be a public health benefit to add fluoride to public water systems to increase resistance to tooth decay.
It also became common practice to add fluoride to dental products such as toothpaste and mouth rinse.
So, the question is whether this massive influx of fluoride into our bodies is good for dental health or not.
Fluoride has been reported to, “greatly help dental health by strengthening the tooth enamel, making it more resistant to tooth decay. It also reduces the amount of acid that the bacteria on your teeth produce.”
Studies from the 1900’s all the way to the present day have found that communities with fluoridated water have lower incidence of cavities compared to those that don’t have fluoridated water.
However, more recent studies have shown that the gap is rapidly narrowing.
Current experts are coming to the conclusion that fluoride applied directly to the teeth can help avoid tooth decay, but many are questioning the safety and overall effects of fluoridated water.
I want to go back to the basics of what a tooth is made of and how it stays healthy and resists decay.
A tooth is not made of fluoride. It is made of crystals of hydroxyapatite which are calcium and phosphate.
When fluoride is introduced to the tooth, it displaces the calcium and forms a different crystal called fluorapatite.
A cavity is not from fluoride deficiency – it is from minerals- particularly calcium- being pulled from the teeth.
Rather than change the tooth, I prefer to add back what the tooth is missing, namely calcium and minerals.
Most of us only hear about the benefits of fluoride, and never hear an explanation about the way it really changes teeth.
The bad news is that when taken internally, with water or swallowing mouth care products, it also changes bones and other things in the body.
There are many studies showing its potential dangers dating back to the early 1900s.
Why would fluoride be potentially harmful?
As this article states, “As a pure gas, fluorine is ‘the most reactive and electronegative of all the elements.’ It has extremely damaging effects to any living organism with which it comes into contact.”
This leads to many negative health effects. In my next blog, I will explain these effects in detail, but I found a great graph from draxe.com to show a summary of these effects.
I’ll keep it simple.
I avoid fluoride and think that you should too.
I prefer to strengthen and rebuild teeth with the minerals they are made of.
That is the reasoning I use with my colleagues and others who are firm believers in fluoride.
I don’t argue with them about whether fluoride is dangerous or not.
I simply explain that there are potential benefits and potential dangers with fluoride…
…so I recommend getting the same benefits from another source without the potential dangers.
My remineralizing tooth powder is a replacement for tooth paste. It uses hydroxyapatite, which has shown to be more effective than fluoride at…
Daily use of any of these tooth powders can also lead to increased whiteness and brightness of teeth…
…without the damaging effects of commercial whitening products..
There are three types of tooth powder to help everyone in your family.
Learn more about my remineralizing tooth powder below
Our teeth are living and are fed by small blood vessels that come from our jaw. These small blood vessels go into the pulp (or nerve) of our teeth, and they provide nutrition and nourishment from the inside.
Our teeth CAN heal and remineralize from the inside…
…if we are providing our body the proper building blocks to heal.
Those who keep getting cavities (DESPITE their efforts to clean the outside) often need to supplement their diet to make sure their teeth are getting fed enough…
…ON THE INSIDE in order for their body to remineralize and heal their teeth.
The body will use these minerals first, so cavities show up when there is even a slight deficiency.
I recommend EVERYONE use the tooth powder as part of their daily oral hygiene plan.
For those who are at higher risk of cavities and have a history of tooth decay should also use the Tooth Remineralization supplements in combination with the tooth powder.
The tooth remineralization kit supplies essential vitamins, minerals, and nutrients to the body so that you can more effectively strengthen the enamel, and heal the teeth from the inside as well.
Learn more about my tooth remineralization supplements below
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