Anybody moving away from using fluoride in toothpastes?

[Freedom]

I never paid much attention to what the ADA - my dentist has recommended in the past.  I just complied...until I had a child.  I researched everything at that point! In summary, I've read how toxic fluoride is and can actually cause death in certain quantities in children.  BUT it's in everything!  I'm dreading our next dental appointment because I want to refuse fluoride treatments.  I've already switched toothpaste but DH continues to use fluoride paste (his father is a retired dentist!).  Anybody change their traditional ways??

 

I'll save amalgam vs composite for another post. :lol:

[Mrs_JWM]

I have not moved away from fluoride because studies show it prevents tooth decay. When you say "it's in everything," do you mean that it's hard to find toothpaste that doesn't contain it?

 

Fluorine is toxic - in high doses. Fluoride in the doses present in most drinking water, reasonable toothpaste amounts, and fluoride treatments is not toxic.

 

You certainly have a right to refuse treatments, but your dentist has an obligation to present the facts (as she sees them) and inform you of the possible consequences. We don't do x-rays as often as our dentist recommends, for example, and I just remain firm and remind them that we have them done at the orthodontist and sent over to our regular dentist.

 

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[AmandaVT]

I quit years ago.  My dentist didn't give me a hard time even though we are a well water area so no treated city water.  We haven't gotten any cavities.

 

I also had my silver fillings replaced. :lol:

 

And I won't ever get a root canal.  :rofl:

 

I've been replacing my silver fillings as well. 

 

I hope you never need a root canal, the pain I was in before mine was so much worse than anything else I had ever experienced!

[cjzimmer1]

my kids seed a pediatric dentist and he's never given us a hard time about no flouride.  He always says what a great job they do taking care of their teeth.  We've had two kids with cavities and neither one is the result that could have been prevented.  Both we cases of week enamel (one had some pitting as soon as teeth erupted and other developed bottle mouth despite never having anything but exclusive nursing, no bottles, no sippy cups, no sugar, no solids or food of any kind, no juice, so clearly there was issues with the teeth unrelated to the care of the teeth.).  We do live in the city and their is flouride in the water.  There isn't anything I can do about that but I figure I can eliminate the extra stuff they are exposed to like toothpaste and extra stuff at the dentist.

[luuknam]

No. Pretty much anything is toxic if you take a high enough dose. Just don't eat entire tubes of toothpaste.

[Mrs_JWM]

 

 

I hope you never need a root canal, the pain I was in before mine was so much worse than anything else I had ever experienced!

I think some people choose to have the affected tooth removed instead of having a root canal, but I can't imagine that's practical in all cases!

 

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[luuknam]

I think some people choose to have the affected tooth removed instead of having a root canal, but I can't imagine that's practical in all cases!

 

Then and again, a root canal is not always practical either. My dentist said my molar (the one furthest in the back) was so shallow there was a good chance the root canal stuff would fall out/off/whatever. Pulling it was cheap too - like $100 or $125 before insurance, so just $25 OOP.

[Lady Florida.]

Not at all. Studies have shown flouride is safe and is effective at preventing tooth decay.

 

Our water is flouridated but we don't like the taste (my city is known in this area for yucky tasting water) so we drink bottled water. The only other way we can get flouride is through our toothpaste and flouride treatments at the dentist.

Edited August 26, 2016 by Lady Florida.

[HRAAB]

No.  I buy toothpaste with fluoride and my children have had fluoride treatments.  No fluoride in our water as we have our own well.  I'm not worried about the small of toothpaste they use, and it is proven to help prevent decay.

[Kalypso]

We stopped using toothpaste with fluoride a few years ago. Our water is not fluoridated nor would we drink fluoridated water. I have never let our kids have fluoride treatments at the dentist. My kids have rarely had a cavity, and our dentist has never said anything to us about not doing the fluoride treatments. 

[whitestavern]

We haven't used fluoride toothpaste since dc were born. And I always refuse fluoride treatments. We have a well, so no fluoride there either. The dentist I go to, just a regular one, has no issues. We also do a very limited number of x-rays. Neither have ever had a cavity. I don't want to come down hard on anyone regarding "studies show" but for every study that shows one thing, you can probably find another that shows the opposite. I do a ton of research (my own "studies") and determine safety, efficacy, etc. for myself. Obviously not doing fluoride for my kids has not been detrimental. I might feel otherwise if they were getting a ton of cavities.

[Pawz4me]

I have no concerns about fluoride. 

 

But in the past we did tell the dentist no fluoride treatments for youngest DS for several years. That was due to sensory issues and to the fact that their insurance person insisted on messing up the paperwork somehow and DS's fluoride treatments were never covered (coverage was never an issue for the fluoride treatments for oldest DS for some reason). And DS has minimal issues with cavities. He's 17 now and I think he's had two. So we didn't have any qualms about not doing the treatments. The hygienist nor the dentist never said anything about it, although maybe because I blamed it on DS's sensory issues? We did have to remind the hygienist at every visit.

Edited August 26, 2016 by Pawz4me

[dirty ethel rackham]

We stopped when my kids were little and I was diagnosed with thyroid disease.  Since we have a strong family history of thyroid problems, it seemed prudent to reduce the risk in my children.  We stopped using flouride toothpaste refused flouride treatments for the most part.  The only time I relented was when dd had a bunch of tooth decay due to weak enamel on her baby teeth.  No cavities in adult teeth for any of my children.  We focus on good oral hygiene and eating a healthy whole foods-ish diet with lots of fruits and vegetables. 

 

We did end up switching dentists when we had one who berated me for not doing flouride treatments at every visit.  I thought he was going to hit me.  Sorry, but ADA recommendations are just that ... recommendations, not the Gospel truth.  One size does not fit all. 

[MEmama]

No. I have zero concerns about fluoride.

[magnificent_baby]

Ds had a weird reaction to a fluoride treatment a few years ago (mouth/throat "feeling funny", chest tightness, vomiting), so I've said no for all of them at their cleanings ever since. Dentist doesn't seem to mind and we have had no consequences so far from skipping. 

 

I still buy toothpaste with it, however. 

[lllll]

nm

Edited October 5, 2016 by Cathi

[Cecropia]

I avoid fluoride myself, but not necessarily for the rest of the family.  In using natural family planning over the years, I've found my basal temps and menstrual patterns indicate some low level of thyroid function (maybe not full-blown hypothyroidism, but not normal).  I use fluoride-free toothpaste when I can, drink highly filtered water, etc.  I don't like getting into fights with the dentist (need all my energy for fights with pediatricians and other doctors, TYVM), so I let him give me a fluoride treatment when I'm not pregnant.  I used to regularly drink tea, but not after I read about the high concentration of fluoride in tea leaves.  I don't have a strong belief that fluoride caused whatever thyroid issue I have, but fluoride/iodine/thyroid don't play well together.  FWIW, my symptoms gradually improved; it was the worst in 2005 I think.

 

I'm also the only one in our family with no cavities in the past 10+ years, go figure.  I got quite a few in my youth (while receiving regular dental care, "normal" fluoride exposure).

[Guest]

Haven't read the replies.

 

I grew up in a town without floride in the water. I have terrible, expensive teeth. My kids get floride every 6 months and one of them uses a prescription toothpaste with extra floride. I trust my dentist over some rando on the Internet.

[Heatherwith4]

Nope. We use floride toothpaste and the kids have the treatments at the dentist.

 

I can still remember when we got a floride treatment at school when I was in Kindergarden. I thought it was the coolest thing ever. :lol:

[redsquirrel]

Nope.  The water in my city is untreated because every time they talk about adding it to the water a bunch of people disrupt the meetings saying fluoride in the water is a government mind control plot.  Seriously. That actually happens in 21st century America.  I think it is the same people who are worried about chemtrails.

 

So, anyway, we use toothpaste with fluoride and also a daily fluoride rinse I get from the store, and we all get twice yearly treatments.  I'd much rather it was in the water and I could stop paying about 5$ per month for the daily fluoride rinse.  It adds up after a while, kwim? But the good news is that so far my kids haven't had any cavities at all.  I guess the 60$ or so bucks a month I pay for fluoride rinse is cheaper than paying for dental work.

 

 

[Scarlett]

I have taken my son to the dentist every 6 months since he was 3.  I've not allowed flouride treatments.  I have only allowed Xrays maybe twice in all of that time....just to be sure things looked ok.  He has perfect teeth. Never a cavity.  But I think it has to do with genetics as much as anything. 

[City Mouse]

No! While there are plenty of stories of people who have perfectly fine teeth growing up without fluoride, I have seen equally as many kids with bad teeth that could have been prevented with floride.

[Bluegoat]

No, I am not worried about it, like a lot of things it is only a problem if you have too much.  People poison themselves with water as well.

Edited August 26, 2016 by Bluegoat

[G5052]

We're on well water, and I discussed it at length with our pediatrician who tends to be conservative. We opted not to take fluoride pills (which some doctors prescribe) and use fluoride toothpaste with a fluoride rinse. 

 

We also get fluoride treatments, but our dentist is very particular about what they use. I don't remember the details, but one approach is considered safer and less likely to be ingested than others. He also only does composite fillings and offers a significant discount for people self-paying to replace amalgam fillings.

[Katy]

I stopped using fluoride toothpaste years ago.  I'd tried a natural version that happened to not have it, and thought it was fine, but didn't have a strong preference.  When I switched back to the regular kind - Crest or whatever, I noticed my teeth got super sensitive. Like, don't eat a bite of snicker's bar or you'll get severe pain sensitive.  Sensodyne made no difference.  The only thing that stopped it was not using fluoride toothpaste.  

 

I've had far less cavities since I stopped using flouride, but to be fair, about the same time I switched to a sonicare toothbrush, which I think is what has made the difference.  That and if I'm sick or something and skip a tooth brushing, the next time I generally brush with peroxide and baking soda, which leaves your teeth as clean as a dental cleaning.  It's too harsh for frequent use though.

 

Most of the rest of the family uses regular toothpaste.  They all choose their own kind.

[AmandaVT]

I have taken my son to the dentist every 6 months since he was 3.  I've not allowed flouride treatments.  I have only allowed Xrays maybe twice in all of that time....just to be sure things looked ok.  He has perfect teeth. Never a cavity.  But I think it has to do with genetics as much as anything. 

 

I think genetics can be a big indicator of dental health. Good dental hygiene is great, but some people can do everything right and end up with a mouthful of fillings and crowns and some can hardly be bothered with brushing on occasion while eating all the junk food and never have a problem.

[rebcoola]

We do fluoride toothpaste but don't take the supplement the Dr wanted us to because our city doesn't put it in the water.  

[mom2att]

My mom grew up in the pre-flouride era. She had full dentures at 19. Due to the fact that genetics plays a definite role in tooth health, we do flouride.

 

 

[Hen]

I stopped using fluoride toothpaste about 2 years ago, 3 of my kids also don't use fluoride, 1 kid still does and dh still does.  I had read studies, but kept doing what we are told, till one day I realized how yellow my kids' teeth were. One of my kids asked for professional teeth whitening.  I read that the fluoride content in toothpaste is higher then it was when I was a kid, my teeth were not yellow like my kids'.  I'm going to talk to dh about switching too, for medical reasons.

[Rosie_0801]

I stopped using fluoride toothpaste for a few years and absolutely regretted it. Even the ex, who has strong teeth, had a few small cavities. Dd and I inherited bad teeth from my side of the family, so we'll be fluoriding it up forever.

[Guest]

When my kids were little, I used Flouride-free toothpaste for a while and didn't give them flouride prescriptions. We have well water. I seemingly did well with this and none of my kids had cavities for years and years. But they did begin to get them in teen years, maybe due in part to sodas, maybe not cleaning them religiously. My youngest had four cavities at a young age. My views changed on the Flouride debate.

[sbgrace]

We (kids and adults) use xylitol toothpaste. I have dental flourosis, and when the kids were little I didn't want to worry about them swallowing it, so I researched and used xylitol with them.  I can't remember when hubby and I switched too, but it's been many years. No cavities. Actually, I think hubby has had one in 10 years, but he had cavities with flouride too.

Edited August 27, 2016 by sbgrace

[eternalsummer]

I'd rather apply it topically and spit most of it out than have it in the water; if you're anti-flouride it makes more sense, imo, to drink bottled water and brush with flouridated toothpaste than the reverse.

 

That said, we switched to bottled water for that reason when DC#3 & 4 were little and they both had weak enamel and cavities at 6 months, so we switched back and treated aggressively w/ xylitol.

[madteaparty]

No. We have well water. Further, my teeth are awful and I don't eat candy or drink soda. I blame lack of fluroide in water when I was a child.

I do wish there was an authority one could trust (on this, and on vaccines and on everything else), but anyway based on my own history we are keeping the fluoride toothpaste.

[rocassie]

At this point, I do flouride, but my dentist always asks.  When the kids were young, I said no.  Dentist and hygienist just said, "okay."  I also refused x-rays when they were young too.  Only my oldest has had x-rays and it was do to some issues with her teeth.  Turned out not to be a problem thank goodness, but an x-ray was needed to determine if there was an actual problem.  

 

A good dentist will respect your decision.  They may give you info because they believe certain practices are best, but they should treat and talk to you with respect.  If not, find a new dentist.

Edited August 27, 2016 by cbreeding

[Ausmumof3]

No we have rain water and my oldest had bad cavities. Since we started using a fluoride treatment his teeth have been heaps better.

[nd293]

No, in fact I gave dd fluoride when she was very young as our water didn't have fluoride in it. Fluoride has a long and solid reputation in preventing tooth decay, and is safe in the quantities found in daily life.

[Carrie12345]

I'm pro-topical flouride, anti-ingested flouride.  

 

The one kid who got the most ingested (city water and tablets from the dentist) has the worst teeth.

Next two kids had city water as infants/toddlers, and the last two always had well water. All moved to flouride toothpaste/treatments when age appropriate. The last two have better dental health than the others did at the same ages.

 

Just my little anecdote.

[MamaBearTeacher]

I started using Tom's of Maine fluoride-free years ago and love it and now regular toothpastes taste fake to me. I have heard some of them contain sugar. The dentist told me my teeth should last me for another 80 years. LOL, they will outlive me by several decades! I think we have fluoride in our water but I did drink bottled/filtered water for many years.

[amo_mea_filiis.]

my kids seed a pediatric dentist and he's never given us a hard time about no flouride. He always says what a great job they do taking care of their teeth. We've had two kids with cavities and neither one is the result that could have been prevented. Both we cases of week enamel (one had some pitting as soon as teeth erupted and other developed bottle mouth despite never having anything but exclusive nursing, no bottles, no sippy cups, no sugar, no solids or food of any kind, no juice, so clearly there was issues with the teeth unrelated to the care of the teeth.). We do live in the city and their is flouride in the water. There isn't anything I can do about that but I figure I can eliminate the extra stuff they are exposed to like toothpaste and extra stuff at the dentist.

Breast milk has sugar in it.

[JonesinIndiana]

Fluoride is found naturally in the ground, sometimes in higher amounts than in fluoridated water. Your well water may contain fluoride unless you've had it tested to see the levels. We have well water and the testing we did didn't give fluoride levels. I imagine that would vary by area of the country. YMMV

[lllll]

nm

Edited October 5, 2016 by Cathi

[klmama]

One of my older dc had a lot of antibiotics when very young and the tooth enamel was bad on the 6 year molars when they erupted. The dentist warned that dc would need multiple fillings on all surfaces of the teeth and would have crowns before adulthood.  At one point they were saying dc would likely need a filling at the next visit, so I bought dc Theodent tooth paste.  It remineralized the problem tooth (and the others, too, I assume), and in the many years since they've not made any further comments on dc's teeth besides "everything looks great," even though we went back to regular fluoride-free toothpaste because of the price. Theodent comes in both mint (classic) and chocolate (kids' version).  Both have brown tubes, as the ingredient comes from the cacao plant.  For those with thyroid concerns, the name of the ingredient "theobromine" comes from the genus name of the cacao tree, Theobroma; it doesn't contain any bromine. 

 

FWIW, I would advise against going to the product's corporate website, as when I did that just now I got several pop-ups from Norton saying it had blocked attacks.  Here are Amazon links:

 

kids' formula with chocolate flavor: https://www.amazon.com/THEODENT-KIDS-Fluoride-Free-Toothpaste-RennouTM/dp/B00DDZOPN2/ref=pd_bxgy_194_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=532KK3Y9M9J3VCB671EE

classic formula with mint flavor: https://www.amazon.com/THEODENT-CLASSIC-Fluoride-Free-Toothpaste-RennouTM/dp/B008GY3X74/ref=pd_bxgy_194_img_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=YDGCN0ENSVPSV62JYFGM

 

 

[redsquirrel]

We (kids and adults) use xylitol toothpaste. I have dental flourosis, and when the kids were little I didn't want to worry about them swallowing it, so I researched and used xylitol with them.  I can't remember when hubby and I switched too, but it's been many years. No cavities. Actually, I think hubby has had one in 10 years, but he had cavities with flouride too.

Xylitol hasn't been proven to do what has been claimed about it.  I used it, in addition to fluoride, for a long time. I understand how cavities are created by a specific bacteria and I was told that xylitol would 'feed' the good bacteria and help keep the teeth stronger and avoid cavities and decay. It was recommended by two dentists, my own and a friend who lives in another state.

 

Unfortunately, the research is very weak. It's not strong enough for me to bet my kids teeth on. My dentist no longer recommends it. He does think its great to use xylitol in gum and mints etc because it's better than sugar.  But he doesn't suggest people ingest the 3 grams a day for healthier teeth, or whatever it was.

 

http://www.ada.org/en/publications/ada-news/2015-archive/march/new-research-shows-clinical-evidence-unclear-on-effects-of-xylitol-products-preventing-dental-carie

 

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-dental-xylitol-cavities-idUSKBN0MM01N20150326

 

So, we still consume xylitol..I still buy zellies mints to keep in my purse for when the kids want one. But I don't go out of my way to use it. I stopped using the xylitol toothpaste we were using for a while and went back to fluoride toothpaste. 

 

It is better for teeth than consuming sugar, that does seem to be clear. So, we'll stick to the zellies for such things. But that's it. I don't go out of my way to use it.

 

And do people know that cavities are caused by a specific bacteria and all fluoride does is strengthen the tooth enamel?

 

If you want to prevent cavities the best thing you can do is brush frequently, floss, get sealants on back teeth and avoid sticky carb snacks like crackers etc. You need to keep your mouth as clean as possible.  Fluoride helps make teeth stronger, but all the fluoride in the world wont help if dental hygiene isn't keeping the bacteria level down.  OTOH, fluoride can provide the 'tipping point' that keeps vulnerable teeth, that that are prone to decay even with excellent hygiene, healthy.

 

The bacteria is generally passed from parent to child. Genetics does come into play a bit. Molars are formed in quadrants and grow together. That is a flaw in tooth design, lol. It can often leave a very, very small crevice in the center of a tooth. Some teeth are just going to develop a cavity no matter what you do.  Bacteria always win eventually, but you can fight the tide. My family dentists, when I was a kid used to say that me and my siblings had teeth like "english muffins" meaning we have lots of crevices and places for bacteria to hide.  My mom also had a mouth full of cavities, so clearly she has the bacteria that causes cavities...and so do we all.

 

DH OTOH, doesn't have a single cavity. BUT he does have terrible gum disease.  He has a different oral bacteria profile.  His teeth are stronger and have fewer natural crevices and holes, but his is fighting many different kinds of bacteria.  I have beautiful gums, but a mouthful of cavities. I only have one bad bacteria to fight, lol. 

 

So far my kids don't have cavities like I did.  But my dentist also puts sealant on back teeth as soon as they are permanent. He does this for free because it works so well.  We OTOH, ds1 is only 16....and is showing the signs of gum disease already.

[Guest]

I started using Tom's of Maine fluoride-free years ago and love it and now regular toothpastes taste fake to me. I have heard some of them contain sugar. The dentist told me my teeth should last me for another 80 years. LOL, they will outlive me by several decades! I think we have fluoride in our water but I did drink bottled/filtered water for many years.

The ingredients are listed on the box. No sugar.

[bethben]

My oldest son has special needs and as a result doesn't know how to spit out the toothpaste when I brush his teeth.  We have used Dessert Essence toothpaste with tea tree oil and no fluoride his whole life and only gotten fluoride treatments twice a year at the dentist.  He has had one surface cavity.  I'm not sure if this would be everyone's experience, but it's worked well for him.