Fluoride

I recommend that you don’t put too much credence into what you read on packaging and product labels. It is advertising and therefore, will often twist or color the truth in order to make the product seem more attractive. So take everything you read on the package with a grain of salt. The exception being that familiar “Nutrition Information” chart on the back, which is regulated and truthful. But on the front, top and sides, it’s all just whatever the heck they want to say.  And it is very-often intentionally misleading.  

One great example is the issue of fluoride. All over the toothpaste box and tube it will say that fluoride is added “to aid in the prevention of tooth decay.” And you may be as shocked as I was to learn that there is no evidence to support this claim that fluoride helps prevent tooth decay.

In fact, there is quite a bit of evidence to support the surprising fact that swallowing this substance can be harmful.  You’ll notice that on the toothpaste tube it even cautions you to “never swallow more than is used for brushing” and if you do swallow a large amount, to “contact poison control immediately.”

So what’s weird is that this same ingredient is added to our drinking water. Poison control?  Drinking water?  Doesn’t add up, right.  It gets better.

I have been saying this for years, and people thought I was crazy....

Fluorides are toxic to humans. And especially the type of fluoride used in many water-treatment plans, which is nothing but a chemical by-product of the manufacturing of aluminum and other alloys. There was a problem about what to do with all the waste, so the solution was to tell the public is was good for their teeth so they could get rid of it by putting it in the drinking water.  Even though it was known to be a toxin, they justified it by saying it was diluted enough that it wouldn’t cause a problem.

Fluorsis - caused by fluoridated drinking water

Finally, in 2007, the latest research was showing that it was causing children’s teeth to come in discolored. And I was delighted to hear that recently, the ADA and the CDC both recommended that fluoride was, ironically, bad for your teeth.

So, for years, I’ve been using toothpastes without fluoride and running all of my tap water through a home filtration device. I’m not fanatical about it; I’ll still drink tap water at my friend’s house and still drink from a drinking fountain.  And I’ll use Colgate in a pinch.  But at home, I take the extra steps to keep just one more dose of poison out of my life.

I have heard from two dentists that using tooth powders were a better way to clean your teeth than the pastes.  I alternate between using toothpaste and using the following regimen:

1. Pour a small pile of baking soda into the palm of my clean hand.
2. Wet my toothbrush and dip the brush into the powder.
3. Brush my teeth with the paste so created.
4. Rinse with water
5. Rinse again with a 50% hydrogen peroxide/water solution.
6. Smile.

There are usually two or three brands of fluoride-free tooth paste at your local health food store.  At any given time, my medicine cabinet usually has at least one tube of these fluoride-free brands.  I do like to switch around a lot rather than stay with any one product.  (That's true of most hygene products) And I also keep a box of baking soda and a bottle of hydrogen peroxide by my bathroom sink so that I can alternate between the toothpaste and the technique I described above. 

Two of my favorite toothpastes are:

Natural Dentist Fluoride Free Peppermint-Sage Toothpaste

Tom's of Maine Antiplaque & Whitening

Peelu Ayurvedic Herb Toothpaste

And then, finally, one last note I'd like to make is that I strongly recommend you examine how much toothpaste you use per brushing.  In the ads, they love to show how you're supposed to completely cover your toothbrush with paste so that the bristles are drowning in the stuff.  They show over an inch-long ribbon from end to end of a long head of bristles. There's even one brand out there that shows you how to use twice as much by doubling over. 

And I want to remind you that using an amount the size of a pea is plenty.  You don't need to have foam oozing out of the corners of your mouth to clean your teeth.  Be conscious that the stuff is potentially toxic and be frugal with the amount you use each day.  And whatever you end up using to clean your teeth, be sure to rinse it out thoroughly.