Torn about fluoride (x-posted)

[JBug]

Hi, all

My 2.5 year old daughter has her first dentist appt coming up, and I am torn about fluoride treatments. I tried searching online for fluoride, but all the sources that I have found are dentist based pro-fluoride sites. I searched on here but most of the stuff that came up just mentioned fluoride in passing or called it poison.

I'm not going to give her the fluoride tablets, but the dentist does offer a treatment where they just pain it on the teeth, and very little is ingested, so that seems like it might be worth it, but I don't know. It seems like it would still get into your system, kwim? SO, I am concerned about it. But, OTOH, I don't want my kids' teeth to be in bad shape, or to hurt, or whatever. I still remember getting those gawdawful novacain shots, and I don't want my kids to have to hurt like that! Everyone on my husband's side of the family has really bad teeth, and his arn't great. A lot of people on my side of have rotten or false teeth. My teeth are ok, but I'm outnumbered, and so I think that maybe the fluoride treatment might be better than cavities.

Like I said, I'm torn.

Does anyone have any good references about fluoride so that I can make a more informed decision?

Thank you.

[dingogirl]

probably not what you're looking for, but i have this about flouridated water;

Over 7,000 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) employees have called on Congress to pass a moratorium on the use of fluoride in drinking water, citing a series of new studies directly connecting the chemical to cancer. The group, made up predominantly of EPA scientists, has sent letters to key Congressional committees and the EPA Secretary, calling for the EPA to classify fluoride as a human carcinogen. At this point, it appears the National Academy of Sciences is being instructed to review relevant studies and report to Congress and the EPA on the topic in early 2006. The OCA will be calling on its supporters to take action when that report is released.

http://www.organicconsumers.org/foo...uride090105.cfm

you really don't need novocaine for cavities. i never got it for mine. didn't hurt a bit.

[Amaryllis]

I came on here to find out more "real" info about flouride, since I haven't found a lot of evidence either as to why flouride is bad. I read this today on CNN online:
http://www.medpagetoday.com/PrimaryC...Health/tb/1756
The link above didn't work for me.

[dingogirl]

here ya go.
http://www.organicconsumers.org/food...ride090105.cfm

all i know is, my husband always drank flouridated water and used flouride toothpaste, yet has heaps of cavities. my children have never had any flouride, yet have no cavities. but then, they don't have sweets every day and they don't drink fruit juice, only (non-flouridated) water.

[indie]

Here's a link to an interesting site:

Floride Action Network

[mommytolittlelilly]

Hmmm.

I did not know that the fluoride in our drinking water is actually just untreated chemical waste byproducts (fluorosilicates). Reading these links makes me think that it might be a good idea to only use the fluoride topically rather than drinking untreated (and fluoridated water). I'd like to not use any of it in any form, but I don't think that's something I want to leave to chance since my daughter is obviously prone to caries.

Does anyone have info on where/how fluoride in toothpaste is processed?

Also, I found it kind of weird that the bone cancer affects only boys? Is that because the study was just a sampling of boys? (If so, I think that makes it another example of medical research being unfairly balanced in favor of males.)

[nonniecita]

http://www.iaomt.org/articledetails.cfm?artid=97
HTH,
Michelle