Fluoride: Tooth Saver or Toxic Menace

Some dentists really believe in fluoride – so much so that they are behind the continued fluoridation of public drinking water. As holistic practitioners, the Wilmington dentists at All About Smiles just don’t agree. We believe that putting toxic elements in our mouths – even if we don’t swallow them – is a bad idea. We certainly won’t do it to our patients. It is, in fact, antithetical to our goal of helping you detoxify your body and find real, and lasting health.

And, yes, fluoride is toxic. So toxic that the FDA requires a poison warning on all fluoridated toothpastes!

How Toxic IS Fluoride?

We understand that calling a staple of the dental industry toxic is pretty controversial, but if fluoride is toxic enough to be used as a pesticide, we at All About Smiles are not going to use it. On their website, fluoridealert.org ( a great source for fluoride information) The Fluoride Action Network states that “In terms of acute toxicity (i.e., the dose that can cause immediate toxic consequences), fluoride is more toxic than lead, but slightly less toxic than arsenic. This is why fluoride has long been used in rodenticides and pesticides to kill pests like rats and insects. It is also why accidents involving over-ingestion of fluoridated dental products–including fluoride gels, fluoride supplements, and fluoridated water–can cause serious poisoning incidents, including death.

But Doesn’t Fluoride Prevent Cavities?

Very few countries other than the United States add fluoride to their water. Does that mean that people in these countries have more cavities than US citizens drinking fluoridated water? According to the World Health Organization (WHO), “There is no discernible difference in tooth decay between developed countries that fluoridate their water and those that do not. The decline in tooth decay the US has experienced over the last 60 years, which is often attributed to fluoridated water, has likewise occurred in all developed countries (most of which do not fluoridate their water).” Fluoride was first added to public drinking water in the 1940 when fluoride was simply not an ingredient in dental products. Now, almost every toothpaste and mouthrinse contains fluoride. But that’s not all. Fluoride comes from the most unexpected places. Because it has been added to the water, it has been added to everything from the soil to our food.

Sources of Fluoride

• Public drinking water
• Toothpaste, mouth rinse, and  fluoride gel
• Fluoride supplements sometimes given in schools
• Processed foods almost always contain high levels of fluoride from fluoridated water
• Teflon pans add fluoride to foods cooked in them
• Mechanically deboned meat such as chicken nuggets contain high levels of fluoride from bone particles
• Tea contains fluoride – the plants absorb fluoride from the soil
• Pesticides are often formulated with fluoride because of its toxicity. These pesticides are used on foods such as grapes, beans, citrus fruits, raisins, and walnuts. Conventionally-grown iceberg lettuce is one of the worst offenders.

Simply put, all of this fluoride exposure is adding up to toxic levels of fluoride being consumed by millions of people in the United States. To learn more about fluoride toxicity watch the documentary, Fluoride: Poison on Tap. To find out how we can help you detox from fluoride or mercury, please give us a call.