Fluoride is a naturally occurring mineral that is found world-wide and is primarily used for dental health. Fluoride has been praised for being one of the top successes in dental health throughout the century. Today more than ever, fluoride is used in many households’ commodities with or without the knowledge of the user. In the 1940’s fluoride was added to the water supply in order to lower tooth decay. Before the 1940’s not one common household item contained fluoride. In the past 60 years, the use of fluoride has drastically increased. Today fluoride is found in mouth wash, tooth paste, water and bottled tea to name a few. Studies have shown that fluoride in large doses are not only damaging to human health, but also to the environment.
Fluoride research began in Colorado Springs, Colorado, when a young dentist by the name of Frederick Mckay opened a dental practice in 1901. He noticed that some residents of the community had severe browning of their tooth enamel that wasn’t recorded in any dental books. After a few years of research, he suspected that the cause behind the browning was due to water. In 1923, Mckay met with parents of children in Oakley, Idaho, who had the same peculiar browning of teeth. These stains began to appear shortly after a water pipeline had been constructed to supply the city with fresh water from a spring. Mckay analyzed the water and found nothing suspicious, but advised the city to cut off the water supply from the pipeline anyway. Within just a few years the browning on children’s teeth began to stop, leading Mckay to concluding that the problem was because of the water. In 1931 after extensive studies and with the help of research conducted by the chief chemist of The Aluminum Company o...
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...tion of fluoridated water by infants poses a serious health hazard to the well-being of the child.
Because fluoride has been proven to show no significant health benefits and in fact, actually poses some very serious health hazards, the consumption of fluoride should be avoided at all costs. The United States Government attempts to regulate how much fluoride is in every part per million, but the cities that are continually allowing this toxic waste byproduct from the fertilizer industry to be dumped into the water supply is completely outrageous and sickening. Until the public is informed about the possible dangers associated with consuming fluoride and the damage it can do to the environment, private industries will continue to sell this waste to cities in order to keep costs low and profits high; all the while poisoning their very own friends and families.
Howrad C, D. L. (2001). The Science and Ethics of Water Fluoridation. Journal of Canadian Dental Association, 67(10), 578-580.
We often say how lucky we are to live in a place where we have access to safe water at any time but what if that was questioned? What if our water isn’t safe; it’s just that now we can’t see the dangers? Throughout the world 25 first world countries fluoridate some amount of their water artificially; almost half of these countries have the majority of their population drinking this chemically enhanced liquid every single day. In the UK 11% of us only have access to fluoridated water [70% in Ireland], and in the USA its 60%. After a quick browse on Google, the information about fluoride that can be learned from the NHS is mainly about teeth and tooth decay as fluoride is put in our toothpaste due to its claimed abilities to help tooth enamel fight attack [nothing has ever alluded to supporting this claim]. What can’t be seen at
I would like to push back on the claim that a cavity is a disease, but I did find it interesting that fluoride fights against dental caries and I enjoyed that my attention was held up with the culprit of decay comes from sugar and bacteria from plaque.
It can occur at any age. overexposure of fluorid in common found in younger people
All water sources, whether fresh or salt, have varying levels of fluoride (Awofeso, 2012). Around 1945 it was discovered that communities with higher rates of naturally occurring fluoride had lower rates of tooth decay (Dean, 1938) which resulted in the addition of artificial fluoride to public water supplies. The incidence of tooth decay fell drastically in fluoridated communities as a result, leading to widespread adoption of public water fluoridation as a public health strategy.
Few object to the therapeutic use of fluoride to stop tooth decay, but fluoridation, the addition of fluoride to the public water supply, can spark avid controversy. Most dentists, medical groups, and government officials argue that fluoridation is a cheap and risk-free venture that doubles cavity prevention. In contrast, a small minority of dentists and conservative political groups argue that fluoride is a hazardous, poisonous substance that should not be consumed. Some antifluoridationists even claim that fluoridation is an untrustworthy form of socialized medicine. But rather than just attacking fluoridation as socialized medicine, opponents originally claimed that it was a conspiracy to poison or brainwash Americans through the water supply. This theory arose in the 1940s when the scientific community refused to endorse or reject fluoridation, thus allowing the debate to expand into the social sphere. While fluoridation opposition may be subconsciously inspired by naturalism, the social development of fluoridation into a Communist or fascist conspiracy resulted from a conscious effort by conservatives to suppress a growing government.
It is important to strengthen the enamel after demineralization from sugars and acids between appointments as well as the removal of the outer layer during polishing. However, some patients believe fluoride is bad for their systemic health and refuse treatment. For these clients I express respect for their decision while informing them of the benefits of fluoride as well as studies showing there is no effect on systemic health from periodic fluoride treatment. After explaining how the benefits outweigh the risks, some clients accept fluoride treatment and others still refuse. While some clients still refuse, I recommend fluoride at each appointment to assess if they have changed their mind or still
Fluoride is a trace of nutrients that occurs naturally in water and foods (Wilson). Fluoride has been a problem in the US for quite some time now. And as time goes along, it gets more worse. The only way to fight this problem off is to use less fluoride in our daily lives. This is something everyone should know about because it is getting to the point where it is affecting people's health. The question is, is fluoride being overused in the US? Many people are getting little benefits by the naturally occurring fluoride, plus they are getting more fluoride from the dentist office. There is only a certain amount of fluoride you should intake per day, and these days those numbers are higher than they should be. Fluoride is shown that is it being overused in the US by health issues, chemical intake, and children concerns.
Dental carries is one of the most common oral diseases in the world, and it often goes untreated due to the expense of treatment. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) 60 to 90 percent of school aged children throughout the world suffer from untreated dental carries. Ethnic minorities, the poor, the elderly, and those who are mentally and/or physically disabled are other disparities who also suffer from untreated dental caries (Alcorn & Rogo; 2012). Looking for a way to solve the epidemic of dental caries by providing affordable treatment, silver diamine fluoride (SDF), also known as the “silver fluoride bullet,” was created. Claiming to be both affordable and effective, SDF could be the answer to low cost carries treatment the world has been searching for. The purpose of this paper is to research the efficacy of silver diamine fluoride in comparison to sodium fluoride varnish. Our PICO question is: In a patient with dentinal caries, will the use of silver diamine fluoride compared to sodium fluoride varnish, be more effective at arresting caries?
We need our chompers to help us break the food that enters our mouths on a daily basis. And since our mouth is the first stop in the digestive void, our teeth play a very important role. Many times sugar will interfere and cause problems for the antagonist (still talking about our teeth). Sugar spreads bacteria, which is accompanied by acids that eat away tooth enamel (one of four major tissues that make up teeth). This can eventually cause gum disease and tooth decay. Tooth decay is the process in which teeth begin to decompose, do to bacteria and other fungi. Crackers, sugary cereals, caramels and soda pop's are some of the main components of tooth decay. Even breast milk has some sugars that can effect the baby's gums if they are fed for long periods of time. This is where fluoride steps in. Fluoride enhances tooth mineralization and inhabits the metabolism of the acid-producing bacteria that cause tooth decay. Fluoride is even being researched currently, for the potential treatment for osteoporosis (a fragile bone
Fluoride is responsible for helping the enamel on your teeth stay strong and healthy. We can offer fluoride treatments and varnishes to help strengthen your teeth. Our fluoride products are designed to help prevent cavities and keep your teeth as healthy as possible.
Seventy percent of the US population now receives fluoridated drinking water, an industrial grade level chemical most commonly associated with the prevention of tooth decay, and in Virginia especially, 95.7% of all public water is fluoridated (CDC). I present this numbers to your concern because for something that is almost in all public drinking water, it is not informed to the average Virginia citizen, but that is not the primary issue I am addressing you for. My main matter of concern is that more recent studies performed by scientist in the US and abroad are now finally advocating decade old cautions back then just acknowledged as unsubstantial research or even myths on how rather potentially hazardous the fluoridation of water is for
Fluoride added in our waters would also add other toxics. “The CDC admits that that 43% of fluoridation chemicals tested from contain arsenic, 2% contain lead and 3%contain copper” (12 Reasons). How is that supposed to help our bodies or decrease tooth decay? Scientist say, that the level of them are too low to do any damage. The Environmental Protection Agency however, states that arsenic and lead have increased IQ deficit risks and cancer (12 Rea...
Thesis Statement: Concerns for water fluoridation stem from the toxicity of fluoride, the dangers fluoride pose to the body, and equal declining tooth decay seen for fluoridated and non-fluoridated countries.
“In 2007, the nation spent $98.6 billion on dental services, yet many children and adults went without the services they need to prevent and control oral disease. We have interventions that can not only prevent disease but also save money” (CDC 34). Oral health for the general public, especially the underserved, has been consistently overlooked. Low-income families and developing countries, who are the most vulnerable to oral problems, are the population that is the most ignored. Five and a half percent of people, in 2007, either could not receive dental care or were putting it off. The main cause of this is money. Many insurances are not accepted by dental clinics because of the high costs of dental exams (Institute of Medicine. 38, 88). If this is not the case, why are these people delaying in protecting their oral health? What most people do not know is that oral health affects overall health. This realization began in 1944 with the Public Health Service Act; it was asking for a movement protecting oral health as it was linked to overall health (Imes par. 4). More research is coming out on this subject, but already bacteria from periodontal disease has been found in the brain, lungs, and heart (Institute of Medicine. 33). With oral health being increasingly important and low-income families and countries being underserved, the government has started to initiate programs to improve oral health geared towards the underprivileged. The water fluoridation and school-based dental sealants are two successful programs started by the government (“Oral health.” CDC par. 41). These programs however do not reach enough people, especially the people who are part of the underserved. With oral health as important as it is, more...