Brushing our teeth and using toothpaste is a part of everyone’s morning and nighttime routines (I hope). But the ritual of grabbing our toothbrush and toothpaste is done effortlessly and carelessly. Not that we don’t care, but the habit of doing so doesn’t require any second thought. The point is, only a small handful of us (if any) have taken a second to look at the products we are using and read the back of them. If we had done so, we would have seen a poison warning on our fluoride toothpaste tube, which casually instructs users to contact the poison control center if they swallow more than what is used for brushing. I am as shocked as you are…
Yes! Fluoride is toxic
If you are only learning about the shocking truth behind fluoride now, as am I, it is questionable why because it has been known to be toxic for quite some time now. Perhaps if consumers knew the truth, many businesses providing us with it filled in with our toothpaste would take a hit and would no longer financially benefit.
Fluoride is added to nearly every toothpaste because it is thought to prevent cavities.
This is based on outdated science.
The truth is, it’s actually harming your health in many ways.
I’ll explain.
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— Dr. Brandon | Metabolism 2.0 (@DrBrandonPettke) July 25, 2023
This is why the FDA requires all fluoride toothpaste sold in the U.S. to carry a poison warning label that instructs users to contact the poison control center if they swallow more than what is used for brushing. This is still unbelievably shocking.
Fluoride is added to nearly every toothpaste on the market because we have all been taught that it prevents cavities. WRONG! In all seriousness, we have only been taught that it prevents cavities because that is what everyone has only ever been told due to outdated science, like most things.
The truth is that it is harmful to our health in more ways than one.
The history of fluoride
The notion of fluoride and how we need it to benefit us all began in America. More specifically, Colorado. In 1909 Dr. Frederick McKay had an observation that the population living in an area called Pike’s Peak Colorado was suffering from rotting and brown teeth, and they coined the term ”Colorado Brown Stain”.
The individuals who were not suffering from ”Colorado Brown Stain” had, in fact, a higher concentration of fluoride ions in their drinking water. Those that had more cavities had 1 mg or less of it in their water. Therefore, additional research was done by industries to see if the higher concentration levels would prevent tooth decay. Those large industries would happen to benefit financially from the use of more fluoride, so of course, they wanted to investigate further.
And so, it began when Grand Rapids, Michigan, became the first city to add fluoride to its drinking water. Fluoridization has become the official health policy of the U.S. Public Health Service.
They ”found” benefits to preventing tooth decay by the added fluoride. However, later on, the early comparison studies were criticized in the journal Nature as, ”primitive,” with a “virtual absence of quantitative, statistical methods… nonrandom method of selecting data and…high sensitivity of the results to the way in which the study populations were grouped”.
The point is that their evaluations and findings were unscientific. The American Dental Association turned away from this, as they had already started promoting its ”benefits”.
Water fluoridization has become widely used across U.S. cities. And, of course, followed by oral health products like toothpaste. They began to add fluoride to their products and promote its ”benefits”. This, in turn, sold more products.
The human body and fluoride
If we look at fluoride, it is definitely not an essential nutrient for the human body. We need to correct what we have been told for many years. Iodine, however is an essential nutrient. Or vitamin D, which is why it is fortified in some food products.
In fact, no single human disease, including tooth decay, will result from a deficiency of fluoride. Yet it is still being added to most water supplies and to the majority of toothpaste. In addition to fluoride, all water treatment chemicals are added to water to make drinking water taste pleasant and safe to consume.
Fluoride is the only chemical that is added back to the water to ”benefit” people who consume the water. Fluoridization could be seen as a mass treatment for the individuals who are drinking the water.
To make this even worse, the primary chemicals used to fluoridate drinking water are silicofluorides. Also known as hydrofluorosilic acid and sodium fluorosilicate. Silicofluorides are not pharmaceutical-grade fluoride products. They are by-products of the phosphate fertilizer industry. Yes, you read that correctly. Our water supplies and the tubes of toothpaste we buy receive unprocessed waste products from the fertilizer industry.
For all of these reasons mentioned, this is why 97% of Western European counties do not fluoridate their water supplies.
The effects of fluoride
The most common effects associated with fluoride consumption are,
- White and brown stains on your teeth
- Gut distress
- Brain dysfunction
- Thyroid dysfunction
- Glucose intolerance
- Arthritis
- Bone fragility
Yes, you read those correctly.
Where to eliminate fluoride
These are the primary areas where you need to eliminate fluoride.
- Drinking water
- Oral hygiene
- Infant formulas
Drinking water
Your first call of action should be addressing your water. If you are on city water in America, there is a strong chance you have fluoride in your water. If you are on a city water supply, you should strongly consider getting an under-sink filtration system. Please note that ”activated charcoal” filters do not remove fluoride from the water. Osmosis systems and distillation do. Do research on the system you are buying beforehand.
If you are buying a water bottle, look for them to be:
- Spring water
- Filtered via osmosis
- Distilled
This will ensure no, or negligible, fluoride in your drinking water.
Oral hygiene
Toothpaste and mouthwashes are the two biggest contributors to consuming fluoride. For your toothpaste and mouthwash, you may want to look for one that is fluoride-free. Dental care is vital, and we need to all switch to fluoride-free toothpaste and mouthwash immediately.
Infant formula
If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, you certainly want to avoid consuming fluoride. When it comes to infant formula, avoid using liquid-concentrated soy formulas, as they have some of the highest levels of fluoride. Powdered forms do have less. Also, it’s good to note that when you are adding water to the formula, make sure you are using the above-described water options.
Stop using fluoride!
If, after reading this, you have just about fallen off your chair, as have I, you need to eliminate fluoride immediately. Thankfully, we can all be fully aware of the negative effects it has, and it is time to make important changes in our lifestyle.
The Fluoride Action Network is an organization combating the fluoridization of water and other consumed products. They have lots of information on their website if you would like to continue learning more about this subject and how it affects your health. We cannot urge you enough to eliminate the consumption of fluoride. It is not an essential nutrient, and it causes long-term harm to your health.
