Well, not yet, but a public health warning has been issued for fluoride toothpaste
Ouch! Another good-idea-at-the-time from the establishment dashed!
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) tells us that 40 percent of children between the ages of 3 and 6 use potentially dangerous amounts of toothpaste. They, plus the American Dental Association (ADA) say we should be using no more than a pea-sized amount for these kids and for kids younger than 3 we should use no more than the size of a rice grain on their toothbrush
Do YOU heed their warning?
Toothpastes containing fluoride warn us. On their label they say “If you accidentally swallow more than used for brushing, seek professional help or contact a poison control center immediately”
Go Figure!
So... swallowing toothpaste is recognized as a cause for concern, but drinking fluoridated water is - we are informed - not only safe but beneficial for your teeth.
But..
Fluoridated water exposes us and our kids to far more fluoride than toothpaste. Dental fluorosis among 10- to 12-year-olds in three Ecuadorian provinces touches 90% . Statistically speaking there is a positive relationship between dental fluorosis and consumption of bottled beverages.
The Toothpaste Problem
..is simple. Excessive toothpaste has excessive fluoride.
The warning wasn't put on every toothpaste tube out of goodwill by the makers. It was made mandatory for fluoride-containing dental products by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in April, 1997.2
So.. (again!)..
Swallowing toothpaste is an acceptable cause for concern, but drinking water with fluoride at any quantity is not just safe: it's good for our teeth. Really?
Bottom Line: Too Much Fluoride Causes Dental Fluorosis
Fluoride is a toxic substance. It has even been robustly questioned on its claimed efficacy as a topical anticaries prophylactic.
Caries are caused by tooth demineralization. This happens due to the acids formed during the bacterial fermentation of dietary sugars. It is countered by the deposit of alkaline minerals from your saliva. (Alkaline balance on the front line!)
Unfortunately, the remineralization process is slow. So the sales story kicks in, that fluoride will prevent dental caries by enhancing this remineralization.
Your teeth are not reliant on fluoride for remineralization. Research now shows that the protective shield fluoride forms on teeth is 100th as effective as previously claimed.
We we told that fluoride changes the dominant mineral in tooth enamel, (hydroxyapatite), into a more-decay resistant material called fluorapatite.
Now, researchers found that the fluorapatite layer formed in this way is only 6 nanometers thick. It would take almost 10,000 such layers to span the width of a human hair.
Researchers said, “it has to be asked whether such narrow … layers really can act as protective layers for the enamel.”
But wait, there's more. We now learn that fluoride causes significant systemic harm when it leaves the toothbrush and is swallowed. This is within the CDC’s new warning against using too much toothpaste.
“Brushing with too much toothpaste can damage enamel, as children could swallow too much fluoride while their teeth are developing, the CDC says. This can cause dental fluorosis, white marks and discoloration of teeth.”
But wait again. There's still more! Dental fluorosis is just the foot in the door when it comes to fluoride damage. Evidence reveals fluoride as an endocrine disruptor. It can affect your bones, brain, thyroid gland, pineal gland and even your blood sugar level. If that's not enough, it’s a known neurotoxin, shown to lower IQ in children.
How's your kid faring?
At the April 2017 National Oral Health Conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico, research showed 57% of youth between the ages of 6 and 19 years have dental fluorosis. This is a condition in which your tooth enamel becomes progressively discolored and mottled.
Fluoride Action Network (FAN) researchers analyzed the same set of data, and discovered that more than 21% of adolescents had moderate fluorosis and 2 percent had severe fluorosis.
According to FAN, "The data suggests that up to 24 million adolescents now have some form of dental fluorosis, with over 8 million adolescents having moderate fluorosis, and 840,000 having severe fluorosis." Incredibly, the situation is still worsening. According to the most recent data, which has yet to be published, the dental fluorosis rate in the U.S. may now be a staggering 65 percent.10
What we were told vs. what we got.
When water fluoridation was first started in the U.S. 73 years ago, it was promised that only 10 percent of people would suffer from mild dental fluorosis at the then-recommended levels. What happened? Not that, for sure!
In 2011, the data showing escalating fluorosis rates started alarm bells ringing. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommended lowering recommended levels of fluoride in drinking water, from a previously recommended range of 0.7 to 1.2 mg/L to 0.7 mg/L.
Adverse effects, including reduced IQ, behavioral alterations, neurochemical changes, hypothyroidism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have been demonstrated even at that lower level.
What’s more, reduced IQ has been seen in study participants with higher urinary fluoride concentrations even when no dental fluorosis was present, which suggests the doses of fluoride that impair cognitive ability are far lower than those that cause severe dental fluorosis.12
So what's worse? Toothpaste or Drinking Water?
It seems that many health officials and even dentists brush off fluorosis as a purely aesthetic issue, one they decide is fair trade for the perceived benefits of fluoride.
The truth is bleedingly obvious Dental fluorosis is an outward sign that fluoride is damaging the body in other ways as well.
We now learn that impairment is detectable in cognitive abilities of children with even mild fluorosis compared to children with no fluorosis.
Now.. remember what we were told (sold)? That fluoride would reduce caries.
Studies have also found that children with higher levels of fluorosis have increased rates of cavities!
Once again, the major and obvious issue is deemed irrelevant by the powers that be.
The CDC completely ignores the role fluoridated water plays in this epidemic.
Toothpaste is not the only source of fluoride for young children. It probably isn’t the most significant source either.
The Elephant in the Room
In response to the CDC’s toothpaste warning, Fluoride Action Network had this to say.
“A spate of news stories … focused on kids swallowing too much toothpaste. But according to Paul Connett, Ph.D., FAN Director, ‘The defenders of water fluoridation are missing the real story. Dental fluorosis is a biomarker of over-exposure to fluoride and the 'elephant in the room' is what damage fluoride is doing to other tissues.’
Recent scientific research indicates that exposure to fluoridated water may lower thyroid function and indicate that fluoride can damage the brain.
Now.. it is understandable that toothpaste vendors are fixated on any study dealing with teeth, but I fail to understand why this issue isn't front page news. Dare I suggest fake news? It's been very obvious over many years that any story suggesting a threat to Big Pharma is countered by a slew of stories by a stable of er.. amenable reporters.
We know already that the fetal brain is under attack from several environmental toxins. But to actually add a toxin to our most vital oral item (water).. that seems so far left of field of normal healthcare.. Repeating ad absurdum, ad nauseum that fluoridation is "safe and effective" does not make it so.
The Bottom Line and Action to Take Today
1. Stop using flouride-containing toothpaste. That's easy.
2. Get a water filter that removes fluoride.
Take care to examine any product carefully for a life-of-filter test report from a qualified lab. Most filters give as new test results, but all filters begin to degrade in performance from day one. Here's our contribution to helping people. We've tested the Ultrastream three times now. Our latest tests after fine tuning the media gave us a result of 97% fluoride removal over 3000 litres of use. That's equivalent to four family members drinking 2 litres each for a year.
Learn more here:
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