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For many of us a toothpaste or water without fluoride, is like some horrible disservice that is being done to our health.
Although the tides are changing, most people are still greatly convinced that fluoride is an essential component of good, healthy oral hygiene. It is not only the general population, it is many of the health professionals too.
The fluoride debate is nothing new. Governments and health care professionals have been trying to battle out of whether “to fluoridate or not fluoridate” for decades now – since the 1940’s when the practice began.
For many of those decades however, fancy advertising from toothpaste companies has made us immune to see fluoride as anything but beneficial.
Today however, the information proving otherwise is growing louder and louder. One by one, many cities around the world are opting to stop fluoridating municipal water. One by one, informed citizens are choosing fluoride-free toothpastes. In this article we explore some of the dangers of fluoride, and bring attention to a much needed topic, where our health is concerned.
What Is Fluoride?
Chemically fluorine is the 9th element in the periodic table, and in the same family as chlorine, bromine and iodine.
This chemical family of elements is called the “halogens“. They are non-metallic and salt forming. Halogens are highly reactive, and as such can be harmful or lethal to biological organisms in sufficient quantities. Fluorine is one of the most reactive elements in existence, and is a corrosive and highly toxic gas. The toxicity of chlorine is also widely known, and controversial in itself as an additive to water.
Naturally, when elements bond their properties usually change drastically. Some go from harmless to harmful and others vice-versa. Depending on what fluorine bonds with, that will determine ultimately how it will act within a system.
Fluoride is formed when fluorine gains one extra negative charge, called an electron. In common toothpastes and some city water supplies, fluoride exists paired with sodium, as sodium fluoride.
What we do know today for sure, is that fluoride’s adverse effects depend on total fluoride dosage from all sources, and naturally vary from person to person. Thus, even if one cannot eliminate all the sources of the fluoride in their life, a conscious reduction can make all the difference where our health is concerned.
The Dangers of Fluoride
While a lot of people think that fluoride prevents tooth decay, most of us don’t realize that fluoride can actually cause a type of tooth decay called “dental fluorosis” – most commonly observed in children.
Harmful effects of fluoride have also been linked to osteoporosis, thyroid problems, endocrine problems and cancers, just to name a few. There are many studies that support these probable links available out there. We can dedicate several articles alone to how the presence of fluoride in our lives contributes to each of these.
When it comes to thyroid disruption, this seems to be a big topic linked to the presence of fluoride in our lives. Even if you know nothing about each, most of us do know that iodine has a powerful effect on our thyroid. Iodine is in the same chemical family as fluorine, so one can quickly align that it is not far fetched at all, that fluorine would also affect our thyroid gland in some way – be that positive or negative.
What else we do know for sure is that babies and young children are at the greatest risk for various problems where their health is concerned from exposure to too much fluoride, both short-term and long-term. Many health professionals agree that children should not be given fluoridated water to drink.
For now I invite you to get a quick idea of the dangers in the following video. It is under 2 minutes, and quickly explains the dangers of fluoride.
Medical and Government Thoughts on Fluoride
So if we know all these dangers, it begs the question – why are so many municipalities still fluoridating their water and why are toothpastes with fluoride pushed on us so heavily?
Could it be that this is just another example of what happens when large corporations and the government or medical field become friends with benefits?
Does it all come down to a question of money behind closed doors?
If you live in the US or Canada, and cannot imagine life without fluoridated water, just know that many countries around the world refuse to add fluoride to their water. Continental Europe for example does not fluoridate their water and more and more cities each day are stopping this practice, as they see more harm in it than good.
The biggest scientific proof for not needing the fluoride in water is that tooth decay has dropped at the same rate in countries with, and without, water fluoridation. So we know today that there is something more to this equation.
The EPA in the US has expressed concerns about fluoride since the mid 80’s. Many more scientists, doctors and dentists alike are speaking out more and more against the use of fluoride, whether in water or toothpaste. Renowned dentists/doctors like the head of preventative dentistry at the University of Toronto, Dr. Hardy Limeback, has openly stated his stance against fluoridation, same as dentist – Dr. Osmunson, Dr. Mercola and natural health proponents like water expert Daniel Vitalis and health ranger Mike Adams.
What about the government? Well here in Canada, whether water is fluoridated and its amount, depends on the city you live in. However, in the last 40 years the amount of fluoride put into water has been more than halved, and Health Canada continues to reduce the allowed amount of fluoride in municipal water.
In general, many people who are against fluoride are simply saying this – it is a violation of our rights, and the biggest enforced drug given to the masses without their say. People should have a say in whether they are exposed to this substance or not. It is one thing to pick it up in tiny quantities in nature, and quite another to have it injected into our lives on a daily basis and in questionable amounts.
I am going to share with you now a short video – that in my opinion is a must see for everyone – whether you already know about fluoride dangers or not. In this short film, Dr. Bill Osmunson – a dentist with over 30 years of experience explains clearly and concisely why your health can be in serious danger because of fluoride.
Healthy Solutions
For me personally, I switched over to an all natural toothpaste back in the spring of 2008. I avoided commercial toothpastes for the SLS mainly and then also learned about the dangers of fluoride a little later. The toothpaste I now use is from Green Beaver, and I have tried 3 of their varieties, which are all fantastic. You can see more specific comments in the review section.
I have been to the dentist several times since this change and have not been told that my teeth are any worse off. Besides, we know enough today to know that proper tooth care stems from the way we brush, not the chemicals we put on our teeth. Also, the foods we eat make a huge difference on how good our oral health will be – perhaps another reason to re-think ones consumption of refined sugars, coffee and processed food in general.
As for the water, well that is a tougher one at the moment and one that I am working on to fix once and for all. I do use a Brita filter at the moment, but know that they do little in the grand scheme of things. I could invest in a fancy water filter, but in a quest for making my life more healthy and natural, I am considering moving to a place where I am not dependent on city water ever, but have fresh, clean water from a private well or spring – without any added fluoride or chlorine.
I will leave this topic for now, with the following helpful tips that you can implement to start reducing your personal exposure to fluoride today:
1. Change your toothpaste from a typical commercial brand that not only includes fluoride and many other harmful chemicals to an all natural one like from Green Beaver or Jasons.
2. Consider investing in a high quality water filter for the entire home (not just kitchen faucet) that removes chlorine, fluoride and many other unnecessary and harmful particles.
3. Use water of highest quality – not bottled or straight tap, if you have a baby or a child who is formula fed or given water to drink.
4. Look around for local springs and get your water from there, especially if it is not cost effective or possible for you to have a proper filtration system. A map of numerous springs in North America can be found here: findaspring.com
5. Read, research and expand your knowledge on this and any topic that deals with your health. Take accountability for your health always.
References & Further Reading
2. Fluoride in our water. – from The Canadian Encyclopedia
3. Warning: Never swallow regular toothpaste. – from Dr. Mercola
4. Think fluoride is healthy? Find out the shocking truth. – from Dr. Mercola
5. The Dangers of Fluoride and Fluoridation – from Dr. Michael Schachter
6. Opposition to water fluoridation – from Wikipedia
7. Dr. Paul Connett speaks out against the dangers of fluoride – from Mike Adams
8. Fluoride Causes Premature Births, Brain Degradation, Bone Loss, Cancer and Hormone Disruption – from Natural News
*Photograph provided by SqueakyMarmot
About the author:Evita Ochel, B.Sc., B.Ed., CHN - is a certified holistic nutritionist, biologist, educator, writer, researcher and speaker in the areas of health, science and holistic wellness. She is a nutritional science expert and her teaching and writing focus on natural, wholesome, plant-based and organic nutrition to achieve optimal health and longevity. Learn more about Evita Ochel or Follow Evita Ochel on Twitter.
14 Comments to “Why I Would Never Use Fluoride Toothpaste Again”
I learned about the dangers of fluoridation about a year ago and was very concerned. I remember so well the little fluoride tablets my sister and I chewed every night for most of our childhood! Not much I can do about that now, but I made it my mission to find the safest source of water, since I drink quite a lot. Fortunately, I’ve discovered that in our area water is not fluoridated (although it is in some parts of South Africa), so my Brita filter is adequate.
On the Fluoride Action Network site they give great advice for people wanting to lobby for safe water in their area.
Excellent article. The best way to remove fluoride from your diet is through political activism. Everyone needs to contact their local, state and federal officials wherever they live and tell them to stop putting fluoride into public water supplies which are then used to make much of the foods and beverages we all consume.
So even if you are filtering out fluoride from your drinking water, you will still consume it in store bought foods unless we all work together to stop the unregulated flow of fluoride into all of our bodies.
I first learned of the dangers of fluoride about 15 years ago, and switched toothpastes immediately. I used to live on a property with its own well, which was great. Now, however, my little cottage is hooked up to the city water. I had to install filters on my faucets and the shower head, and I travel to a nearby spring each week to fill up glass jugs of water.
I will take your advice Evita. I have heard the same thing about fluroide three times now in two weeks. On another site they were saying that it was a drug that creates a sense of passivity. I suppose the negative charge you mentioned may build up over time creating a mild depression. ?
@ HANLIE – Hi Hanlie, interesting that you mention those small little fluoride tablets, as I remember as a child and teen up to 18 years of age given a “special” treatment for kids of a fluoride application. And then when I turned 18 and my dentist said, “well, no more fluoride for you” as if it was some horrible loss I was facing in my life. If only I knew better than…
But like you said, little we can do about these things today. Definitely dwelling on them solves nothing. What we need is to take proactive steps to detoxify our bodies from past chemicals and continue adopting more natural and healthy ways to live.
Thanks for pointing out that about the Fluoride Action Network too!
@ NYSCOF – Thank you for stopping by and feedback – it is really appreciated!
And yes, even if we don’t drink fluoridated water or use fluoride-based toothpaste, we still have all the other food in our lives that most likely cam into contact with fluoride. Hence this is why I am so big on decreasing our biggest exposure first, and then absolutely getting involved to educate more and bring about changes on the government level.
@ EARTH MOTHER – That is something! Lucky you for having known about it for that amount of time! And fantastic to hear that you have taken steps to ensure better health for you, through better water.
People have to realize they always have a choice – thank you for shining as a great example of being proactive about your health!
@ BERN – Wow, I would say that is a coincidence, but I know better ;)
Fluoride seems to do a number on our pineal gland…and anyone who is interested in matters of spirituality knows that this is a major thing. So it is not only that this can impact our physical health, but our spiritual health too.
Now you said something, that I just heard the other week about the negative charges within building up. I have been reading some material from a researcher who is proving just that…that we pick up a lot of negative charges through various things in our environment, which can actually influence our state of mind and happiness. Go figure…
There are so many dots for us to still connect, but I am so grateful and excited that we are connecting them, perhaps slowly, but surely.
Thanks for stopping by Bernie!
Very thoughtful post on wellness. This is is very helpful. There were always side effects in every thing, there are dark and light sides. It depends on you on how to balance it. Fluoride can be very helpful in but can be harmful in other ways too. Thanks for sharing this one. So thoughtful of you.
Thanks for bringing up an important issue especially since the American Public Health Association’s annual meeting was all about global water safety. Just so your readers know that there’s been some research out there on the risks of fluorosis, I recently came across the statistic that 2% of schoolchildren will be affected, even at the recommended doses of fluorine added to the water (Griffin SO, Beltran ED, Lockwood SA, Barker LK “Esthetically objectionable fluorosis attributable to water fluoridatoin. Community Dent Oral Epidemiol 30(3):199,2002.). It reduces dental caries at 1ppm in the water supply, but causes “mottled” tooth enamel at 2ppm.
I suppose it’s cheaper to fluoridate the water instead of a public health campaign to improve diets and keep kids (and adults alike) away from sugary snacks and processed foods.
@ BRYAN – Thank you so much Bryan for that feedback!
And you are so right, many things have to be balanced in life. For me personally I definitely choose to act when I am aware of the negative sides, and especially when there is more harm than good from a substance.
I think any fluoride in nature, that exists naturally in food – prior to any human intervention is what our bodies benefit from. Anything more is necessary and as we are finding out today, actually quite harmful.
@ ALEXANDER RINEHART MSACN – Hi Alex, so wonderful to have you share your thoughts on this topic and I greatly appreciate you bringing in more scientific facts into this.
Your last statement really hit home, as isn’t that the case with everything? It is cheaper on too many levels to take a short cut, that usually harms on some level, instead of invest into education of the people to empower them to make good, healthy choices. Thanks again!
Thanks for the response Evita. You’ll find that there is research out there for many wellness issues, some that extend back to the 1960’s and 1970’s and have been “forgotten” by the media. For instance, many drugs deplete the body of vital nutrients, and many of the common side effects of drugs are actually the same side effects of the nutrient depletions the drug created! Birth control pills are a big example of this. There’s even been some studies showing that repleting the body with those nutrients yields some clinical success. Additionally, you’ll also find that while American journals will often have one argument for food additives which is the example that comes to mind first…when you look to European Journals, the story magically changes.
Also the American Dietetic Association lobbies hard to keep nutrition from being used as a therapy. They also allow Tony the Tiger to attend their conferences, as well as other lobby-heavy organizations. They base many recommendations on evidenced-based criteria, but cater to industries in their recommendations….so their recommendations are good, to a degree, but give little insight on individualizing a plan and are about minimum nutrition to prevent objective disease…instead of optimum nutrition to prevent subclinical disease (that will become the chronic diseases that plague us!). The nutrition industry needs some regulation. There’s a lot of crap out there, but unfortunately the ADA pushing hard to be that regulatory agency!
Any similar problems in Canada as the US is looking to adopt a more nationalized version of healthcare…?
Love your work, it’s been awhile since I’ve been in contact!
Wow! I thought fluoride was great I remeber those Aqua Fresh commercials. Where the cavity creeps would get hit with fluoride and die. I think I better do some research and rethink what I have though for the last 34 years. WOW!
@ ALEXANDER – Thanks so much for adding all that in Alex. I am so with you on all that research. I think for the most part a lot of the research that today would be too “inconvenient” has as you say been forgotten. And many people today want scientific studies for everything, yet they don’t realize how rigged those studies are. Depending on who pays for them and who analyzes them and how, it could mean all the difference to whether a product will be marketed or not.
And again you are so right when it comes to the drugs and their effects… I would love to interview you more on this topic actually if you are interested.
As for the AMA – I have to tell you I just shake my head… I don’t get how an organization who is meant to be all for the right “diets” is doing so much damage where good, healthy eating is concerned.
As for Canada, in some ways it is way better, but we also fall short on good regulations where almost everything is concerned. There is less politics here as to products and who pays whom to push what, but we are so influenced by the US, that whatever we are doing “right” sometimes makes little difference.
Thank you so much for your feedback Alex, and I look forward to perhaps an interview if you are up for it, to discuss similar topics in more detail.
@ FREDDY – Hi Freddy and thank you for adding in your thoughts.
Freddy there is so much out there that would blow the average person’s mind, the more I dig, the more I have to tell you I am less, instead of more surprised.
What is pushed on us is what makes the most money. That is the sad, but honest truth. It is only in the past decade that people are really starting to research for themselves and speak out. And you know what pushed people over the edge…the disease stats. We are sick of being sick. With no doctors or agencies really doing anything about it, except pushing more drugs on us, so people are starting to take their health into their own hands, and miracles happen!
I definitely encourage everyone to take accountability for their health, so fantastic to hear that you will be doing more research on this Freddy. All the best with your health and wellness journey!
VERY important article. I’m glad more people are finding out about the dangers of fluoride!
@ KOKO – Thank you Koko for stopping by. Me too, I am so glad this is becoming more widely known, and I am so happy that I learned this when I did too.
Thanks for bringing this to light. A very important article. We do not use flouride in our toothpaste but I realized reading this that I do not know about our city water…thank you I will check it out more carefully. 6 months ago I bought a Culligan water filter for drinking water in addition to a whole house water filter(neither were terribly expensive) and have been pleased with it.
Thanks.