Fluoride Part 2 – Does Fluoride Really Prevent Tooth Decay

Fluoride – Does It Really Prevent Tooth Decay

In fluoride part 1 Dr Rachel Hall Brisbane holistic dentist discussed how fluoride ended up in our water supply despite little evidence to prove it works to reduce tooth decay. In this blog Dr Rachel will explore the harm that fluoride poses to the body.

Health Effects of Fluoride

Fluoride ages us prematurely from the moment we first ingest it in our water.

It is bad for our body and there is no system that is not disrupted in the presence of the fluoride ion. It damages enzymes and proteins, upsets the immune system and can cause autoimmune conditions. It even damages DNA.

Fluoride builds up in your body over time, much like heavy metals do. So the problems tend to start showing up in middle age.

Dental Fluorosis

Dental fluorosis is one of the earliest and most visible effects of fluoride. The teeth come through mottled or discoloured and in severe cases can be brown or heavily pitted where the enamel has not formed properly due to damage that alters the way the enamel is formed and grows.

The process of fluorosis hardens and alters the enamel crystal structure of your teeth and has the same affect on bone. This means you are at higher risk of hip fractures due to the fluoride in your system.

In the US toothpastes that contain fluoride carry a poisons warning stating that if your child swallows more than a pea sized amount you need to take them to the poison control centre. Sadly there have been cases of children dying as a result of swallowing toothpastes. I’ll let you draw your own conclusions.

Fluoride and Your Thyroid

One of the biggest problems with fluoride over-exposure is the impact it has on your thyroid gland. This is at the base of your neck and it helps regulate the other glands in your system and your metabolism. You cannot live without your thyroid. The thyroid uses iodine to make hormones T3 and T4, iodine and fluoride are from the same family, yet fluoride is fiercely competitive and will block iodine from its binding sites in the thyroid gland. So whilst you may have enough T3 and T4 in your blood tests and everything seems fine you thyroid isn’t working properly due to the cuckoo in the nest. Fluoride is an imposter and you could have an underactive thyroid with symptoms of weight gain, lethargy and feeling cold yet the tests say your thyroid is fine.

So lets make this worse and throw some mercury in the mix and we start to see an increased risk for Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, an autoimmune disorder where antibodies start attacking your thyroid gland.

If your thyroid is being poisoned it can’t work properly. If you suspect you have a thyroid issue please seek medical support.

Holistic dentistry advises that we use non-fluoridated toothpastes and no fluoride rinses. In my dental office we do not apply fluoride treatments or use fluoride. We filter our water to remove fluoride so all water in our office does not contain it so that the water you rinse with and that comes through our dental equipment is fluoride free as is our drinking water.

If you are concerned about ingesting fluoride and you know its in your water supply then it is worth investing in a fluoride eliminating system for your home to reduce your exposure.

Here’s some other things you can do to reduce your exposure:

Drink non-fluoridated water, check the bottles label to be sure that they don’t contain traces of it.

Choose a fluoride free toothpaste and mouthrinse.

Is Ingesting Fluoride Logical?

I am fascinated by human logic, why would we drink something to protect the outer layer of our teeth, is that not like saying lets drink sunscreen to protect our skin? If you want to protect the enamel on your teeth surely you put something on the tooth not swallow it? You can prevent dental decay through good nutrition and lifestyle and by applying products directly to the tooth rather than ingesting fluoride that is going to your whole body and mainly to your bones.

Alternatives To Fluoride To Prevent Tooth Decay

You can use things like hydrogen peroxide, essential oils, and coconut oil. In the dental office we can use remineralising pastes with calcium and phosphates and special proteins that help pull the minerals into the tooth structure or ozone to treat the deep grooves in your teeth and make them more resilient against tooth decay.

Fluoride accumulates over time in your body so when your dentist is using fluoride treatments like gels or varnishes, prescribing fluoride mouth rinses and products for you to use at home this is adding to your dosage and the build up of fluoride in your system.

There is so much more I can and could go into about fluoride but for now I feel this introduction to how it got into our water supply and why we have fallen for the magic bullet that it will prevent decay will suffice. No amount of fluoride will compensate for poor diet and poor oral care. And sadly when we swallowed the lie we swallowed a substances that is detrimental to our health and proper functioning of our body under the misguided notion it was going to stop our teeth from rotting.

Holistic dentistry is about contributing to your overall health by helping you have a better understanding of how your dental health is linked to your overall health and providing you with materials and options for treatment that are safer for your immune system. And that’s why holistic dentistry can restore your teeth and enhance your health and support you to decide what is best to put in your mouth and your body.

Call us now to find out more 07 3720 1811.

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