Fluoride...yes or no??

[5knights3maidens]

Our dentist is insisting that our 8 year old needs fluoride. She now has 5 cavities. He thinks the Danon Fluoride water would be good so that she doesn't get any other additives. I keep reading and hearing about flouride not being good for you. Most of her life she has not used a flouride toothpaste. Her foods consist of a lot of fruit. (she's on a special diet because of adhd/pdd asd). Sooooo...what would you do? Thanks!

[Liz CA]

Our dentist is insisting that our 8 year old needs fluoride. She now has 5 cavities. He thinks the Danon Fluoride water would be good so that she doesn't get any other additives. I keep reading and hearing about flouride not being good for you. Most of her life she has not used a flouride toothpaste. Her foods consist of a lot of fruit. (she's on a special diet because of adhd/pdd asd). Sooooo...what would you do? Thanks!

 

Well...I will tell you that my naturopath has said Fluoride can do more harm than good. I changed from a fluoride toothpaste to one without it. I would probably opt out of this and look for other remedies. But then...I am a bit cautious on issues like this.

[itsheresomewhere]

I had fluoride as a child and I had a ton of cavities. My kids don't have fluoride as it is very bad for you and one kid is allergic to it. My dd no cavities and my ds has poor tooth enamel so fluoride can't help that. He has had 8 cavities, 2 root canals, etc. He is also a mostly vegetarian. Our dentist recommended we try to let him eat a hard cheese before bed as some cheeses contain something that fights cavities but DS won't eat the certain ones.

[missiemick]

I use fluoride only until my children can handle the mint taste of the non-fluoride toothpaste. I've read WAY too much about the negative effects of fluoride. Unfortunately, I can't do much about the water. :glare: Check out http://thehealthyhomeeconomist.com -- she has a very interesting article on how cavities can be healed (and prevented.) Apparently, it has much more to do with your diet than in cleaning habits.

[Mommyof4ks]

I would lean toward no, because it can do more harm than good and some people have bad teeth no matter what.

 

Of my 3 kids no one has cavities yet we filter our water with an RO system which gets rid of most floride and use unfloridated toothpaste. My youngest even had cancer, and chemo can cause teeth the crumble. I OTOH have terrible teeth despite having used floride for most of my life. I really think genes have a lot to do with the health of teeth.

 

Just my .02 cents.

[simka2]

I am facing this decision as well. I would love any links to peer reviewed studies about the benefits or deficits of flouride. My kids are at a wonderful teaching hospital's pediatric dental clinic and they are pushing this as well.

 

Edited: Found the info I needed, we will be opting out. They will still get it in tap water and mouth rinse, but I am already seeing some significant streaks and white spots.

Edited August 9, 2011 by simka2

[Spy Car]

Yes. Flouride dramatically reduces cavities.

 

Bill

[LisaKinVA]

There has been a lot of new research showing that high acidity is what really causes cavities (provides the breeding ground). Some people have a higher mouth acidity than others... which is why you can have 5 children all brushing, flossing, doing nightly flouride treatments and have one child that gets 11 cavities :glare: (dentists even said it wasn't related to her brushing/flossing... they could tell she did a great job).

 

visit www.cariefree.com -- there is information, and you can purchase things that will help (guess we'll know tomorrow how much! as it is dentist day here). Not all dentists "stay up" with information. The dentist dh and I go to is always up-to-date (unfortunately, he's out of network, and costs were just too much for us to go for everyone. So, kids go to an in-network dentist, who told dd to swish with Listerine instead of flouride, and I heard about the carifree program from my dentist).

 

Anyhow, just a suggestion!

 

FTR, I would avoid too much flouride (especially in water... it does NOTHING. Flouride really needs to sit on the teeth in order to be effective... I'd do other things before going with supplements).

Edited August 9, 2011 by LisaK in VA

[regentrude]

Yes.

Fluoride was the ONLY supplement our (German) pediatrician prescribed - they don't do any vitamins etc.

When I was a kid, there was no fluoride and my sister and I had many cavities already as kids (so had DH) . By the time my brother was born, fluoride was available, and even though he can not brush his teeth well (mentally disabled) his teeth are great. My kids received fluoride and their teeth are also a LOT better than DH's and mine.

ETA: We use fluoride in toothpaste and the coating at the dentists, but we do NOT drink fluoridated water.

[kchara]

I won't do treatments anymore, and I won't give them fluoride supplements. We do use fluoride toothpaste. We don't see any need for it. It can be very dangerous.

[raceNzanesmom]

Our 7 y/o has never used a fluoride toothpaste or had treatments. He does drink lots of tap water, and ours is fluoridated. I've found teaching him to brush well (we use Eco-Dent tooth powder), floss, and rinse after eating has worked well. He did have one tiny cavity in the groove of his first molar at age 5, but considering he nursed through the night for two years I'm not too concerned.

 

On the other hand, our oldest used fluoride t/p, fluoride rinse (per dentist's instructions), had fluoride treatments, and sealants, and he's had tons of cavities.

[SonshineLearner]

Flouride that's added to the water, isn't even the one that was tested. It's basically poison, and I believe it shouldn't be added at all. Flouride for your teeth... say... the one at the dentist every 6 months... probably could be seen as good... maybe... Flouride in the toothpaste... isn't what we choose to use. :(

[hsmomof2boys]

We don't use fluoride at our house. No fluoride treatments at the dentist either, and no fluoride toothpaste. I have read so many negative things about fluoride, so we don't use it. My children do not have cavities either. At the dental office, I have to be careful so they don't "accidentally" give my children fluoride treatments (or my husband, too)..... They like to treat the whole family!

[Spy Car]

Affinity for science based decision making is not a hallmark of this forum.

 

Bill

[simka2]

Affinity for science based decision making is not a hallmark of this forum.

 

Bill

 

In a sense I agree with you. That said right now I am reading thru this report (specifically the pages on teeth) and I am not comforted ;) My 3 older kids have evidence of pitting and white splotches/spots already. Two of the kids who have gotten crowns at Children's Mercy Hospital(Kansas City) dental clinic, have had the the tooth abccess and have to be removed. The interior structural damage was to great.

 

 

Here's the report I am reading http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=11571&page=103

I would love to read more reports :D

[tntgoodwin]

I am facing this decision as well. I would love any links to peer reviewed studies about the benefits or deficits of flouride. My kids are at a wonderful teaching hospital's pediatric dental clinic and they are pushing this as well.

 

Edited: Found the info I needed, we will be opting out. They will still get it in tap water and mouth rinse, but I am already seeing some significant streaks and white spots.

 

 

Did you find any studies? I am interested in this as well.

[EKS]

Affinity for science based decision making is not a hallmark of this forum.

 

Bill

 

:lol:

[Holly IN]

For several years when kids were younger they were recieving flouride treatments and flouride treated water. My boys bones are very brittle and have gotten so many cavaties. One of the boys teeth turned gray. We stopped just in time and reversed the gray teeth in one boy but sadly couldn't reverse the brittle bones. My daughter is blessed that we found out the harm in flouride has the least affect.

 

Since stopping flouride treatments and treated water as well as flouride toothpaste, NO CAVAITIES!!

btw we have well water and do have filter system to remove everything from well including flouride. :D

Holly

[Pretty in Pink]

We drink city water so I assume it's flouridated though I haven't looked into it. My children do receive flouride treatments at the dentist 2x per year, we brush with flouridated toothpaste, and they use a flouride dental rinse each night. They all have healthy teeth and no cavities.

[catz]

We drink city water so I assume it's flouridated though I haven't looked into it. My children do receive flouride treatments at the dentist 2x per year, we brush with flouridated toothpaste, and they use a flouride dental rinse each night. They all have healthy teeth and no cavities.

 

 

Same here - never a cavity here. Both my kids have really nice teeth. We do eat well too generally - limit sugar, no juice or soda unless it's a special occasion.

 

 

Affinity for science based decision making is not a hallmark of this forum.

 

Bill

 

LOL! :lol:

[Lisa in Jax]

Check out the local water report to see if supplementation is necessary. You may find that tap water has as much fluoride as the Dannon water.

 

In our case, the local water is heavily fluoridated, so we chose not to add any more. In addition, our dentist's fluoride rinse is full of artificial colors and preservatives that make DS nutty. There's no way I'll allow it for my son, who is also gluten- and dairy-free, b/c he does not do well with preservatives or artificial colors.

 

IMHO, a child with ADHD or ASD-like tendencies is one for whom additional chemicals are not always worth the risk, b/c kids with ADHD/ASD seem to have more trouble with artificial chemicals and preservatives.

 

 

HIH,

 

Lisa

 

P.S. Bill, public health recommendations are based on *populations,* not individuals. IMHO, it's smart parenting to check for oneself whether a public health recommendation (fluoride, vaccinations, etc.) makes sense in light of my child's health tendencies. It has nothing to do with a lack of an "affinity for science-based decision making." It has much more to do with a thoughtful, rational review of the data, considering my children's unique sensitivities. Just because someone does not follow the "typical" recommendation does not mean that she is not using science-based decision making. In my case and that of many others, it's quite the opposite.

 

Lisa

[5knights3maidens]

Wow, I just got back on and there are a lot of responses. I'm reading now. ;)

 

Thank you everyone!

Edited August 10, 2011 by 5knights3maidens

[5knights3maidens]

Just a little info.

 

I also had my check up and cleaning today. I stopped using Kiss My Face toothpaste and have been using colgate or crest. Do you know that my teeth needed a lot of cleaning AND I have 2 small cavities.

When I used KMF, I was told my teeth were beautiful and so clean. Sooo....I'm going back to KMF toothpaste and I will look into something else for my dd.

 

Thank you ladies.

[CarenM]

No. My naturopath is against fluoride. We have never used any and never, so far, had any cavities.

[Lucy in Australia]

Just because someone does not follow the "typical" recommendation does not mean that she is not using science-based decision making.

 

This is so true. I wouldn't have been feeding raw milk to my toddler (with spectacular results, I might add) if I had been following the "typical" recommendation.

[MHowell]

There has been a lot of new research showing that high acidity is what really causes cavities (provides the breeding ground). Some people have a higher mouth acidity than others... which is why you can have 5 children all brushing, flossing, doing nightly flouride treatments and have one child that gets 11 cavities :glare: (dentists even said it wasn't related to her brushing/flossing... they could tell she did a great job).

 

visit www.cariefree.com -- there is information, and you can purchase things that will help (guess we'll know tomorrow how much! as it is dentist day here). Not all dentists "stay up" with information. The dentist dh and I go to is always up-to-date (unfortunately, he's out of network, and costs were just too much for us to go for everyone. So, kids go to an in-network dentist, who told dd to swish with Listerine instead of flouride, and I heard about the carifree program from my dentist).

 

Anyhow, just a suggestion!

 

FTR, I would avoid too much flouride (especially in water... it does NOTHING. Flouride really needs to sit on the teeth in order to be effective... I'd do other things before going with supplements).

 

:iagree:

 

Both of our kids have horrible teeth. Our dentist checked the pH of our kids saliva and found it to be VERY high. They had full sized samples, so we got two different ones for the kids, one is bubblegum (for D) and one is mint (for K) and the mint flavor is AWFUL! K compares it to putting 10 altoids in her mouth at once. Even though she hates it she will use it as directed and in the year my kids have been using the rinses they have had no new cavities. There is no change in anything else. Both receive fluoride 2x a year also. Always have.

[happypamama]

I would be looking into things like MI Paste to help remineralize the teeth, as well as xylitol to kill the mouth bacteria that cause cavities. If you go to mothering.com, in the dental forum, there are lots of threads about healing tooth decay. I would not be using fluoridated water. I might consider fluoridated toothpaste but not water.

[LidiyaDawn]

I never heard any of the 'fluoride is evil' stuff until I started visiting homeschool forums.

 

[random, I know.. but it's true. there's a longggg list of things - this being one of them.]

 

Personally, we don't have a problem with it.

[Spy Car]

I never heard any of the 'fluoride is evil' stuff until I started visiting homeschool forums.

 

[random, I know.. but it's true. there's a longggg list of things - this being one of them.]

 

Personally, we don't have a problem with it.

 

Back in the day the John Birch Society used to claim fluoridation is part of a Communist plot to take over the world :lol:

 

The science that fluoridation greatly reduces the incidence of cavities is well proven. It is possible to get too much fluoride and that can speckle developing teeth, so one should work with a local dentist to make sure the fluoride levels are in an optimal range.

 

Bill

[WishboneDawn]

Our dentist is insisting that our 8 year old needs fluoride. She now has 5 cavities. He thinks the Danon Fluoride water would be good so that she doesn't get any other additives. I keep reading and hearing about flouride not being good for you. Most of her life she has not used a flouride toothpaste. Her foods consist of a lot of fruit. (she's on a special diet because of adhd/pdd asd). Sooooo...what would you do? Thanks!

 

This is really not something I'd look for info on here. The weight of opinion and anecdote can seem heavy and convincing but the real info you need is out there in studies. Not books or websites but real research into the matter where you can be informed of the risks vs. benefits.

 

My own feeling is there's nothing wrong with not using fluoride for a lot of people but if your child is already showing a vulnerability to cavities then you need to go to the science, not your peers, and put some time and real research into this.

 

Good luck!

[WishboneDawn]

nm

Edited August 10, 2011 by WishboneDawn

[WishboneDawn]

Just a little info.

 

I also had my check up and cleaning today. I stopped using Kiss My Face toothpaste and have been using colgate or crest. Do you know that my teeth needed a lot of cleaning AND I have 2 small cavities.

When I used KMF, I was told my teeth were beautiful and so clean. Sooo....I'm going back to KMF toothpaste and I will look into something else for my dd.

 

Thank you ladies.

 

This is a correlation but not necessarily why you're teeth had cavities. Other things worth considering would be diet and general health.

 

Not saying the other toothpaste didn't work better for you, just that we often tend to put too much faith into superficial correlations and it can sometimes stop us looking for deeper issues.

[kolamum]

I adamantly refuse it. That said our dentist no longer does fluoride. I will also add that my child is allergic to it and the smallest amount exposed to him will turn his teeth GREEN.

 

Has your dentist said if your child has "soft teeth". Some people have stronger saliva and thus end up with softer teeth which are more cavity prone. I know it sounds INSANE, but I've had a couple of dentists mention this.

[Lizzie in Ma]

A fluoride toothpaste, yes, rinse, maybe. In water, no no no no no no no.

It is a poison. I never let them put that stuff on at the Dr.'s either and my 15 year old has never had a cavity and my 10 year old only 2.

[mom31257]

I would say do treatments at the dentist office for a year and see if it changes. I don't know if I would do the water, though, especially if your home water is treated with flouride. My ds had 7 cavities and had to have a tooth removed. After he started flouride treatments, he's not had a single cavity. He had always used flouride toothpaste. His were all between the teeth because he has a very small mouth. The tooth was removed in order to avoid a pulpectomy which is a baby tooth root canal.

[Jennifer in MI]

I would be looking into things like MI Paste to help remineralize the teeth, as well as xylitol to kill the mouth bacteria that cause cavities. .

 

Look into xylitol. I use Spry toothpaste. It does have flouride in it. I have to look up MI paste. My dentist gave some to my kids once. They didn't like it and never used it though.

 

I know it's just one person - but I started using this toothpaste after a particularly bloody dentist visit. The scraping was horrible!!! My next visit the hygenist said, "I don't know what you're doing, but keep it up!" So, I'm still using that toothpaste! We also have some Spry gum that has xylitol in it (no sugar) that is supposed to be good for your teeth.

[alpidarkomama]

Fluoride... YES! But I don't have energy to devote to the debate. :tongue_smilie:

[LisaKinVA]

I posted yesterday about the cari-free products...today was the BIG test. My oldest daughter has had cavity-issues since she began seeing the dentist. She had her first cavity at FIVE (I was the one brushing and flossing her teeth). Her worst appointment was at 7.5years, when she had 11 cavities. She has had two crowns, and the dentist told us this was NOT related to her brushing/flossing habits.

 

She does not drink soda (hates the stuff), and we do not keep juice on hand as a drink. We eat lots of fresh fruits, veggies, and limit candy and treats. In essence, we "did everything right." She was using flouride rinses twice a day, and brushing after every meal with flouride toothpaste. STILL she had cavities (none of my others do). She takes much better care of her teeth than I do of mine... I've had six cavities in my 42 years (bulk of mine were due to deep pits in my molars... haven't had a cavity since those were sealed at 18), she'd get six in six months (and some of those would be severe!).

 

Today, for the first time I can remember, I had 5 out of 5 children CAVITY FREE. I didn't have to make a follow-up appointment for anything. My oldest daughter is thrilled. She had already psyched herself into a miserable mood, expecting to hear that she had cavities. The excitement she felt when told she had ZERO was incredible. I think she's still riding the "no-cavity" announcement high!

 

We switched her to the cari-free products. Ahem... SPY CAR, this is based upon SCIENCE, not anecdote. Here's the link to the research... http://www.carifree.com/dentists/science/evidence_based_research.html

 

I don't want to downplay flouride's role in cavity-prevention, but the reseach on flouride indicates that flouride plays a role in remineralization NOT prevention, and the evidence behind "drinking" flouride is sketchy at best http://www.fluoridealert.org/about-fan.aspx (I will grant that this is an anti-flouridie-in-the-water group, but you can read the international research there too).

 

Does everyone need cari-free products? No. But people with issues like my daughter (the only one in our family), will not be helped by simply adding more flouride... I would *much* rather spend $100 every six-8 months to prevent cavities for her, than a minimum of $100 every six months to fix the numerous holes in her teeth.

[marianna0121]

Fluoride has been used for decades to protect tooth enamel in kids and adults fluoride gel treatment helps prevent tooth decay by making the tooth more resistant to acid attacks from plaque bacteria and sugars in the mouth. Been having my fluoride treatment at https://diamonddentalassociates.com/in-office-fluoride-treatments-not-only-for-kids-huge-benefit-for-adults-too/ for years now and I don't see any side effects yet.