Dentists Warn of Excessive Fluoride Intake in Infants

Cat Herder · Understander of unimportant things

Dentists Warn of Excessive Fluoride Intake in Infants

arbilad · Head Chef

I know that this will probably not be a popular opinion, but...
Flouride is actually toxic in any quantity. A group of employees at the EPA campaigned to have their agency classify it as such. I'll look up some references later.

Euphrasie · Senior Bucketkeeper

I wish you'd tell my daughter. She doesn't believe me, and she won't stop eating the toothpaste!

Mahonri · Senior Bucketkeeper

Yup, we'll agree to disagree. Flouride has just about put us dentists out of business.

The only other discovery that has reduced caries, expecially in children, is 'xylitol'.

If you let your kids chew a stick of Trident w/ xylitol in it once a day, they won't get caries. I'll swear by it.

TitusTodd · Senior Member

My wife is a victim of too much fluoride in the water. She has the enamel fluorosis mentioned in the article. She hates her teeth because of it and has always been reluctanct to smile too much (the kind of smile that shows her teeth). As far as I know it hasn't made her teeth enamel weaker.

Cat Herder · Understander of unimportant things

TT, I'm kind of the same way as to smiling, but not because of how my teeth look. They are naturally a bit yellower than most people's, but again that is not why my smile is not a big toothy grin. I had a pronounced overbite when my permanent teeth came in, so for the years as a teen where I had braces, I just developed a way of smiling where the upper lip does not recede. Not that I was necessarily ashamed of the braces, but it was physically more comfortable to not always rip my lips up by moving them back and forth over them just to smile like I had when I was a pre-teen.

So, Mahonri... flouride makes it unnecessary for regular bi-annual cleaning of the teeth

I thought that was you guys' bread and butter... caries and the other stuff was all just gravy.

According to a friend of mine in our ward, it is the Millenium that is going to put dental surgeons like himself out of business...

Anyway, what about that Mahonri, can cosmetic dentistry help remove / cover up enamel fluorisis? Is there anything that is typically done to mitigate it?

Euphrasie · Senior Bucketkeeper

If you let your kids chew a stick of Trident w/ xylitol in it once a day, they won't get caries. I'll swear by it.

Really? I am sooooo stocking up next time I go to the store.

Mahonri · Senior Bucketkeeper

No flouride does NOT stop the requirement for bianual cleanings.

I do cosmetic bonding all of the time... but I've found that a person would have to have taken in MASS quantities of flouride to get flourosis.

I became a dentist because I knew they would always be needed...

You know, weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth....

TitusTodd · Senior Member

All I can say is my wife has flourosis and it came from flouride in the water (as there was no other source for her to get it from).

I don't see anyway to get rid of or hide the flourosis other than caps.

Mahonri · Senior Bucketkeeper

Bring your wife to Phoenix and I'll fix it with bonding in short order. I have 100's of patients who are happy because I bonded their teeth... for many, it makes their teeth look like they've had braces or bleaching because we make them look perfect. I charge just over $200 per tooth. (many dentists here charge double and triple that)

Cat Herder · Understander of unimportant things

What exactly does fluorosis look like? Are there pictures one could see? All this talk kind of makes me wonder... My teeth up front look kind of translucent in spots or have lighter spots in the enamel.

I wonder... since the mineral fluoride fluoresces under black light, will teeth affected with fluorosis fluoresce when black light is shone on them? (just kidding...)

I have really strong teeth. Never had a carie in my life, although the dentist did fill one molar when I was a teen because he said I had weak enamel in it... Same dentist tried to have me fill another tooth just prior to leaving on a mission for the same reason. I said no, I'm sure the western european country I was going to had competent dentists should a carie develop. Never had to worry about it, and in fact when I went to see the dentist again after my mission (after two years of no dental care at all) for a cleaning, that tooth had no weak enamel or the "concern" of the beginnings of a carie. And that was nearly 20 years ago. Still no carie or weak enamel on the tooth to this day.

arbilad · Head Chef

Cat, that reminds me of what happened before my mission. My dentist, who I have the greatest respect for (he is a fine, upstanding member of the church) recommended that I should have my wisdom teeth out. I was 19 and hadn't had them out yet. They weren't causing problems, but he said they were crowded in there. Well, for various reasons, I didn't have them out. And 14 years later they're not giving me any problems.
Of course, he also bonded my teeth, since I was going to a country with lousy dental care.

arbilad · Head Chef

This link takes you to a letter signed by EPA employee unions begging the agency to classify fluoride as a carcinogen.

arbilad · Head Chef

Another article on the problems with fluoride.

Cat Herder · Understander of unimportant things

Interesting. I don't see (and haven't seen elsewhere) any evidence other than anecdotal claims that fluoridated water an toothpaste are health hazards. Just like they are saying there is no evidence to support the claim the two items prevent tooth decay, as it is admitted there are no reliable studies that prove or disprove it.

Hey, it could be bad. The Romans were really big into use of lead with their water and even culinary applications. But I don't know if the claim is true or not. Frankly, it is not that big a concern to me. It has the ring of trying to find a smoking gun, much like the claims that certain types of immunizations are the cause of autism. I guess in the Millenium, the History Channel will be showing documentaries about how Western Civilization fell because they were so addicted to fluoride and certain types of immunizations...

arbilad · Head Chef

Both articles made reference to actual published studies, while the first article in particular seemed to put a lot of credence in the study showing a link between a certain type of cancer and fluoride. Mind you, these unions that were complaining had scientists in their ranks.
I'd say that's beyond "anecdotal". Then again, you can find a study to prove pretty much anything you want. But the opinion of scientists working for the EPA is a lot more official than Jim Bob ranting into his word processor between tin foil hat fittings.

Cat Herder · Understander of unimportant things

arbilad wrote:
Then again, you can find a study to prove pretty much anything you want. But the opinion of scientists working for the EPA is a lot more official than Jim Bob ranting into his word processor between tin foil hat fittings.

That is the point, isn't it. Any study commissioned by a group that then has their agenda pinned to the results is not as reliable (in my mind) as a study that is conducted by an independent, reputable, and recognized authority.

Some may not agree, but I think a study done by the FDA would carry a bit more clout than the doctoral dissertation of a PhD candidate as interpreted by a labor union's leadership.

Fluoridation of water and toothpaste may not be an optimal thing, particularly if calcium intake is not sufficient, but more scientific evidence should be presented and evaluated before looking at something as a smoking gun and labelling it the next in the series of evil compounds that will kill you and everyone around you if we don't ban it now. After all, since when do we take marching orders from European nations for our science?

Euphrasie · Senior Bucketkeeper

Just so you know, tin foil hat fittings aren't really necessary. If your supplier is fitting them, he's probably overcharging you. Good quality foil hats are more of a one-size-fits-all deal. Just crimp and you're set.

arbilad · Head Chef

Euphrasie wrote:
Just so you know, tin foil hat fittings aren't really necessary. If your supplier is fitting them, he's probably overcharging you. Good quality foil hats are more of a one-size-fits-all deal. Just crimp and you're set.

That's just the government mind control rays talking, Euphrasie. Everyone knows that a good tinfoil hat is made to order.

rayb · Hot Air Balloon

mind control Rays... those are the Ray clones that control minds...

So the water where I live doesn't have flouride in it. Should i be concerned, or go out of my way to get some for my kid's teeth?

--Ray (mind control)