Flouride Drinking Water - Good or Bad?

Obviously, good parents want their children to have strong teeth. Yet, in spite of the improvements in dental care in recent years, a quarter of two to five year olds and half of children 12-15 have had one or more cavities. To counteract this, many suggest that adding fluoride to public water will help. Others say it will do more harm than good.

Fluoride is the 13th most common element in the Earth's crust and exists naturally in water. Some water has sufficient natural fluoride. But what if it is not naturally present? Should fluoride be added to water systems? The debate about fluoride won’t be settled here. Rather, the purpose of this article is to consider a few of these points, and to give you some options. We need to answer the question, do you need a flouride water filter?

Consider these quotes: “It is well known that fluoride helps prevent and even reverse the early stages of tooth decay.” “Today, water fluoridation is estimated to reduce tooth decay by 20-40%.” These statements were made by a medical doctor. Here’s another: “For over 60 years, water fluoridation has proved to be a safe and cost-effective way to reduce dental caries.”

Those favoring the addition of fluoride in water claim that its presence combats tooth decay in two ways. First, it strengthens the developing teeth. Second, it also aids the surface of the teeth by preventing the acid produced by the bacteria in plaque from dissolving, or demineralizing, tooth enamel. Fluoride also allows teeth damaged by acid to remineralize, or repair themselves. It won’t repair cavities, but it can reverse minor tooth decay and prevent new cavities from forming.

Those on the other side of the debate claim that a greater quality of fluoride actually increases tooth decay. At least, they said, this is true:  “. . . there is no difference in the tooth decay rates of the fluoridated and nonfluoridated areas surveyed.”

Too much fluoride before 8 years of age, a time when teeth are developing, can cause enamel fluorosis, a discoloration or mottling of the permanent teeth. Sometimes the amount of fluoride ingested from the water and then through toothpaste and dental treatments can be too much.

At times the studies have not considered the long range effects of fluoride. The con side says it has been directly linked to cancer, changes in bone structure and strength, has caused birth defects and perinatal deaths, has impaired the immune system, caused initial stages of skeletal fluorosis, caused osteoarthritis, inhibits key enzymes, suppresses thyroid function and several other adverse problems.

What do they say about the studies that prove that fluoride is good for dental hygiene? The studies had several flaws. First, they did not consider the differences between "natural fluoride" (like CaF) and added fluoride (like NaF). Second, they did not consider the other minerals in the water and these could actually be the cause of decreased instances of tooth decay. Third, the studies lack statistical analysis. Fourth, dental fluorosis is the only safety experiment included.

If your conclusion from these points is that fluoride should not be in your drinking water, what can you if it is? Some opt for bottled water but this gets expensive. A better alternative is to purchase a water filter that removes fluoride. Some expensive units do this. Other less expensive units have optional fluoride filters. The Berkey Filter, for example, has available an additional filter that can we attached below the regular charcoal filters and will remove fluoride from the water. If you don’t want fluoride, you don’t have to drink it.