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Elemental fluorine may be more toxic than lead in some ways, but that's irrelevant here. The sodium fluoride added to toothpaste and water is a completely diff

Elemental fluorine may be more toxic than lead in some ways, but that's irrelevant here. The sodium fluoride added to toothpaste and water is a completely different animal from free fluorine or hydrogen fluoride, and has very low toxicity. Fluoride treatments do not make bones and teeth more brittle, nor does fluorine "replace" calcium. Fluoride treatments are applied directly to your teeth, and work by converting some of the outer enamel into fluoroapatite, which is a more acid-resistant form of the predominant hydroxyapatite. If you rinse and spit after treatments and after brushing, you're ingesting very little fluoride. In amounts far greater than those allowed in municipal water, fluorides can disrupt bone metabolism, causing loss of strength. By far the biggest sources of fluoride contamination in drinking water world-wide are natural, and pose a great challenge because fluorides are as difficult to remove as any other soluble salt. The discoloration on your teeth is not a "scar" in any sense of the word, and unless you have clinically significant dental fluorosis, it is completely harmless.

RobertRoberts 9y ago
Look into government research on dental carries (they don't use the word cavities) you will find that no treatment works if bacteria grows in the cracks of your teeth. Where tooth brush bristles can't get to, and acid from food is an irrelevant issue. Therefore, fluoride provides no benefit whatsoever as it doesn't fill in the cracks. (plastic sealants do though) Here's how toxic the fluoride is that used by dentists. "Referring to a common salt of fluoride, sodium fluoride (NaF), the lethal dose for most adult humans is estimated at 5 to 10 g (which is equivalent to 32 to 64 mg/kg elemental fluoride/kg body weight)." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fluoride_toxicity https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fluoride_toxicity From the New York Times, a child died from fluoride while at the dentist. (he ingested 3 times the amount needed to kill him) "According to a Nassau County toxicologist, Dr. Jesse Bidanset, William ingested 45 cubic centimeters of 2 percent stannous fluoride solution, triple an amount sufficient to have been fatal." http://www.nytimes.com/1979/01/20/archives/750000-given-in-childs-death-in-fluoride-case-boy-3-was-in-city.html http://www.nytimes.com/1979/01/20/archives/750000-given-in-c...
- nate_meurer 9y ago
  Looks like you need to re-read that research :) Bacteriogenic acid is always the direct cause of dental caries, whether in crown fissures or on the sides of teeth [1]. Fluoride helps prevent the development and growth of crown fissures in the first place, and although fissures are difficult to clean once established, it's simply not true that fluoride "provides no benefit whatsoever". Fissures are difficult to clean with bristle brushes, but it completely depends on their depth and shape. For years now I've had a couple of deep fissures in my molars that regularly get food stuck in them, and I have no problem cleaning them out with my Sonicare and toothpaste. Regarding the toxicity of fluoride, you realize what a huge dose 32-64 mg/kg is don't you? Do you know how many tubes of toothpaste you'd have to eat to reach those levels? Take a guess. For perspective, the WHO's target for water fluoridation is 0.5-1.5 mg/L. The William Kennerly case is the case cited by anti-fluoridation activists. Note that it occurred over 40 years ago, and other cases of acknowledged fluoride toxicity are exceedingly rare, in spite of the fact that millions of fluoride treatments are administered to children each year, and in spite of the vast number of toddlers caught eating toothpaste each year. I should say that I'm not one to argue that fluoride is completely harmless, and I'm on the fence about its use on children. My kids used non-fluoride toothpaste until they started growing permanent teeth, and then I brushed their teeth until age 5 or 6. And I carefully impressed on them the importance of always spitting out the toothpaste, actually using the word "poisonous" to motivate them. 1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK8259/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK8259/
  - RobertRoberts 9y ago
    Consider the context of this entire discussion, self healing of teeth without the need for dental help, this includes fluoride. I've seen people with their teeth eaten away from drinking super sized gulpies from 7Eleven, so it's not true that "bacteriogenic acid is always the direct cause of dental caries", anything that will dissolve your teeth can cause a cavity. If you really want the truth, keep looking on government websites, all my information on tooth decay came from there, not conspiracy nuts.
    - 9y ago

RobertRoberts 9y ago

Look into government research on dental carries (they don't use the word cavities) you will find that no treatment works if bacteria grows in the cracks of your teeth. Where tooth brush bristles can't get to, and acid from food is an irrelevant issue. Therefore, fluoride provides no benefit whatsoever as it doesn't fill in the cracks. (plastic sealants do though) Here's how toxic the fluoride is that used by dentists. "Referring to a common salt of fluoride, sodium fluoride (NaF), the lethal dose for most adult humans is estimated at 5 to 10 g (which is equivalent to 32 to 64 mg/kg elemental fluoride/kg body weight)." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fluoride_toxicity https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fluoride_toxicity From the New York Times, a child died from fluoride while at the dentist. (he ingested 3 times the amount needed to kill him) "According to a Nassau County toxicologist, Dr. Jesse Bidanset, William ingested 45 cubic centimeters of 2 percent stannous fluoride solution, triple an amount sufficient to have been fatal." http://www.nytimes.com/1979/01/20/archives/750000-given-in-childs-death-in-fluoride-case-boy-3-was-in-city.html http://www.nytimes.com/1979/01/20/archives/750000-given-in-c...

nate_meurer 9y ago
Looks like you need to re-read that research :) Bacteriogenic acid is always the direct cause of dental caries, whether in crown fissures or on the sides of teeth [1]. Fluoride helps prevent the development and growth of crown fissures in the first place, and although fissures are difficult to clean once established, it's simply not true that fluoride "provides no benefit whatsoever". Fissures are difficult to clean with bristle brushes, but it completely depends on their depth and shape. For years now I've had a couple of deep fissures in my molars that regularly get food stuck in them, and I have no problem cleaning them out with my Sonicare and toothpaste. Regarding the toxicity of fluoride, you realize what a huge dose 32-64 mg/kg is don't you? Do you know how many tubes of toothpaste you'd have to eat to reach those levels? Take a guess. For perspective, the WHO's target for water fluoridation is 0.5-1.5 mg/L. The William Kennerly case is the case cited by anti-fluoridation activists. Note that it occurred over 40 years ago, and other cases of acknowledged fluoride toxicity are exceedingly rare, in spite of the fact that millions of fluoride treatments are administered to children each year, and in spite of the vast number of toddlers caught eating toothpaste each year. I should say that I'm not one to argue that fluoride is completely harmless, and I'm on the fence about its use on children. My kids used non-fluoride toothpaste until they started growing permanent teeth, and then I brushed their teeth until age 5 or 6. And I carefully impressed on them the importance of always spitting out the toothpaste, actually using the word "poisonous" to motivate them. 1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK8259/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK8259/
- RobertRoberts 9y ago
  Consider the context of this entire discussion, self healing of teeth without the need for dental help, this includes fluoride. I've seen people with their teeth eaten away from drinking super sized gulpies from 7Eleven, so it's not true that "bacteriogenic acid is always the direct cause of dental caries", anything that will dissolve your teeth can cause a cavity. If you really want the truth, keep looking on government websites, all my information on tooth decay came from there, not conspiracy nuts.
  - 9y ago