How Dangerous Is Fluoride?

How dangerous is fluoride when it comes to your personal health? With so much mixed information out there pertaining to fluoride, it’s difficult to sort fact from fiction. Here’s a quick rundown of what you need to know.

Something peculiar happened in the early days of dentistry – dentists began noticing their patients had noticeably brown teeth. Even more surprising, these patients had significantly less signs of cavities and tooth decay. After a little detective work, researchers discovered concentrated fluoride was actually responsible for preventing many common oral hygiene issues.

Communities began adding lower doses of fluoride to their water starting in 1966, the results were rather convincing. By 1994, nearly 70% of 12-year-old children living in the United States had teeth with decay or cavities, according to a study by Claude Maroui Medicis of Scottsdale, Arizona.

Future research on fluoride indicated the substance can be harmful in high doses, very similar to other naturally occurring minerals. Developed countries like the United States and Japan have developed methods of safely regulating the amount of fluoride present in drinking water and other sources, but that hasn’t prevented it from becoming a testy issue for some.

The fact of the matter is that respected medical organizations actively campaign for fluoride, advocacy that suggests the conceived medical dangers are nothing to lose sleep over. Fluoride is considered a ubiquitous element and is tough to remove from its known sources, meaning it’s virtually unavoidable.

Make sure you contact Tempe Smiles today for more information on the preventative effects of fluoride. Give us a call and schedule your next appointment!