Fluoride is a chemical compound added to U.S. tap water to prevent cavities and tooth decay to promote oral hygiene at the community level. The policy began in the 1940s as Grand Rapids, MI became the first city to implement a fluoridated water supply, with more cities following suit in the 1950s. 

Today, community water fluoridation is commonplace. Drinking water supply in the United States demands that tap water contain a minimum level of fluoride, claiming the benefits of fluoride as a dental-decay preventative measure. However, this so-called “cavity-preventing” substance is now under scrutiny, with many in the medical community questioning the safety of fluoride in drinking water.

Fluoride is touted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Institute of Medicine (IOM), the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), and the American Dental Association (ADA) as a win for the oral health industry. And with its seemingly unrivaled ability to protect tooth enamel against decay, it’s no wonder it’s included in dental cleaning products like fluoride toothpaste and mouthwash.

But while topical fluoride treatments used in dentistry to prevent tooth decay are generally accepted, the use of systemic fluoride in municipal water sources is questionable.

The truth is that most of the water you drink does not even come into contact with your teeth. So the idea that its primary reason for being in the water supply is for tooth health appears to be misinformation or, according to some critics, propaganda.

Do not let yourself be fooled into thinking that outspoken anti-fluoride activists are against healthy teeth. It is quite the opposite. The people fighting to stop the involuntary fluoridation of our water supplies are seriously concerned about this substance and the effects it can have on each of us, including the impact on our teeth.

The unfortunate truth is that fluoride may not be as harmless as once perceived, especially as the sources of dietary fluoride increase. Furthermore, recent scientific evidence suggests numerous health consequences for fluoride exposure and ingestion.

And the scary part is that you have no say in the matter. Fluoride consumption is involuntary, and the use of fluoride in water at the current allowable concentrations is considered by many to be a public health risk, especially for infants and young children.

When fluoride is added to tap water, it is essentially a mass-distributed medication claiming to support dental health. However, that is a problem because it does not consider the differences in the people drinking the water spiked with fluoride. For example, take a newborn baby weighing in at 8 or 10 lbs, and compare them to an adult male who weighs 180+ lbs. The idea that they would be prescribed the same dose seems strange or even dangerous, doesn’t it?

That is precisely why medications come in different doses. Just like we have a “Children’s Tylenol” because not everyone should get the same concentration, tap water and its additives can negatively affect babies and young children.

The more water you drink, the greater your Fluoride exposure. Fluoride concentrations of 0.5 ppm are recommended in warmer climates where more water is consumed. As much as 1.5 ppm is relegated to water supplies in colder regions where less water is consumed on average.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is the agency that sets the limit on how much fluoride can be in tap water. And their action limit is much higher than the recommended level of fluoride at 4.0 ppm. That means there could be many times the “recommended” amount of fluoride in your tap water, and you wouldn’t even know it.

What they consider ‘acceptable’ may not be healthy to consume. Higher fluoride levels have been shown to cause Dental Fluorosis & Skeletal Fluorosis (meaning that it negatively affects the teeth by staining them and causing the bones to become more brittle).

The National Academy of Sciences reported that severe fluorosis, a disorder an intake of too much fluoride causes, can occur at just two parts per million. Now take a second and think of how much water you drink and how much you brush your teeth, and you can start to get a sense of your fluoride exposure. The problem with water fluoridation is that it is in addition to all the other sources of fluoride we are exposed to daily, such as fluoride supplements, processed drinks, and foods processed with fluoridated tap water.

The first step is to start filtering out the fluoride from your tap water. The easiest way to do this is to get our Clearly Filtered Water Pitcher