My husband and I have a history of lots of painful dental work and orthodonture, and both of us have mouthfuls of toxic mercury fillings we wish we had had an alternative for when we were young. (Dating ourselves here, I guess!). Now that Babyzilla has 8 teeth, we are particularly concerned that they remain healthy, straight and strong.
To that end, we give her no sugar or processed foods. We don’t eat them ourselves, so this is pretty easy to do. We also give her bone broths and high-vitamin fermented cod liver oil, which have lots of Vitamins A, D and K, and minerals, as well as Omega-3s—all crucial for healthy brain, teeth and bones. Lastly, we brush her few teeth daily (though she prefers to do it herself) with either our homemade toothpaste (see below) or Earth’s Best tooth gel, which like many kid’s toothpastes, has no fluoride.
Why do most kids’ toothpastes have no fluoride? Because kids inevitably will swallow some paste, and fluoride is extremely TOXIC. In fact, eating a tube of toothpaste will kill a child (and seriously harm an adult), so keep any fluoride paste or mouthwash out of reach, like you do bathroom cleaners and medicines.
For me, this begs the question: Why are we putting a toxic chemical that should never be swallowed into our mouth, food and water supply in the first place?
The type of fluoride added to water supplies, most toothpastes, and many beverages and foods are waste products of the nuclear, aluminum, and phosphate (fertilizer) industries. The EPA has classified sodium fluoride as a toxin. In addition to being the primary ingredient in rat and cockroach poisons, sodium fluoride is also a main ingredient in anesthetic, hypnotic, and psychiatric drugs as well as nerve gas used by the military. Do we really want this in our mouths?
Under the Pure Water Drinking Act, it is illegal to dump fluoride in lakes, streams and oceans. But, for some strange reason, it’s ok to dump fluoride into our municipal water supply and rub it into our teeth and gums twice a day.
How Did We Get Here? – A Brief History of Fluoride
According to journalist Christopher Bryson, author of The Fluoride Deception
Fluoride is necessary for the processing or enriching of uranium. Much of the original proof that fluoride is “safe” for humans in low doses was fabricated in the 1940s by Manhattan Project A-bomb program scientists, who had been secretly ordered to provide “evidence useful in litigation” against defense contractors for fluoride injury to citizens. The first lawsuits against the U.S. A-bomb program were not over radiation, but over fluoride damage. Their pro-fluoride propaganda was successful in convincing juries and the public that not only was fluoride safe, but that it was beneficial for kids’ dental health!
Sodium fluoride was used by both Hitler during WWII and also by the Russians to make the populus docile. Fluoride is also a principal ingredient in many antidepression drugs, such as Prozac because of its ability to numb the mind. And it was key in the worst air pollution disaster in U.S. history in Donora, Pennsylvania that killed 20 people and hospitalized over 7,000 between October 26 and 31, 1948.
Because of the mind altering affects of fluoride, in the early 1950′s, the notorious spin master and father of advertising, Edward Bernays, continued the campaign for adding fluoride to water supplies as an experiment in engineering human consent! Then the ADA picked up on the dental issue and endorsed sodium fluoride’s addition to water supplies.
For the last several decades, any dissenting health studies and reports were usually dismissed as quacks regardless of their credentials. Despite this, in 1999, over 1500 professionals at the US EPA, including toxicologists and risk assessment experts voted unanimously to oppose the fluoridation initiative in California because of the health risks involved. But fluoridation was approved in most California municipalities anyway.
Fluoride’s Affects on Your Health
The fluoride used for water fluoridation does not have FDA approval and is considered by the FDA as an “unapproved drug.” The proper use of any drug requires an understanding of how much is too much. Since fluoride is already in many foods and beverages, it is estimated that we’re already receiving 300% or more of the American Dental Association’s recommended daily amount.
Generally, most fluoride entering the body is not easily eliminated. It tends to accumulate in the body’s bones and teeth. Recently, it has been discovered to accumulate even more in the pineal gland, located in the middle of the brain. The consequence of fluoride accumulation is dental fluorosis, which permanently stains and pits teeth, and leaves them brittle. The incidence of dental fluorosis among U.S. children has increased from 10 percent to 22 percent in the past 25 years, says the ADA. Yet, the American Dental Association continues to promote fluoride, refusing to admit that instead of preventing tooth decay, fluoride causes even more dental harm.
The flood of sodium fluoride in water and food also creates other more serious health problems that are not widely publicized—even suppressed. Nevertheless, in addition to fluorosis, independent labs and reputable researchers have linked the following health issues with daily long term intake of sodium fluoride:
- Cancer
- Genetic DNA Damage
- Thyroid Disruption – affecting the complete endocrine system and leading to obesity. (People with thyroid disease are advised to avoid fluoridated water.)
- Neurological Impairment – The toxic effects of fluoride on the central nervous system is confirmed by previously-classified government research. Two new epidemiological studies confirm fluoride’s neurotoxic effects on the brain and have shown that children exposed to high levels of fluoride had lower IQs.
- Alzheimer’s Disease
- Birth Defects
- Melatonin Disruption - lowers immunity to cancer, accelerates aging, sleep disorders.
- Pineal Gland Disorder - calcification, which clogs this gland located in the middle of the brain.
- Osteoarthritis
Fluoride Proven Ineffective
You might be worried about how removing fluoride from our drinking water or toothpaste might affect our teeth. But you do not need to be.
All of the recent large-scale studies of water fluoridation have shown that there are no positive effects from the practice. According to statistics from the World Health Organization, the tooth decay rates of countries which do not fluoridate their water supplies are just as low, or even lower, than those countries which do. Further, several studies published since 2000 have reported that there has been no increase in tooth decay rates noted in communities which ended water fluoridation.
Fluoridation is illegal, banned or not used in an overwhelming number of countries, including many industrialized countries. Despite pressure from the dental industry, 99% of western Europe has rejected, banned, or stopped fluoridation due to environmental, health, legal, or ethical concerns. And yet, their children’s teeth are just as healthy as children’s teeth in the U.S. In fact, in many parts of Europe, they are healthier.
The good news is that the voice of concerned, unbiased science is beginning to overwhelm the voice of pro-fluoride industry propaganda. For example, in November 2006, the American Dental Association actually advised parents to avoid giving fluoridated water to babies.
Take the advice, and protect yourself and your children by avoiding fluoride.
Reducing Fluoride Exposure
Fluoride can be found in tap and bottled tap water, soft drinks, juices and foods made with tap water, vitamins, non-organic produce, and of course toothpaste and mouthwash.
One way to avoid fluoridated water is by buying spring water from a water service. But this is not always economical or environmental. Buying a filter that can remove fluoride from your tap water is the more cost-effective choice over the long term. You can even buy a whole-house filter and have fluoride-free water for cooking, drinking, bathing and toothbrushing!
- Reverse Osmosis Filtration. This is used to purify several types of bottled water (not all), so some bottled waters are unfluoridated. Reverse osmosis filtration systems are a bit pricey, but they remove fluoride, chlorine and most environmental toxins found in municipal tap water. However they also leave water flat, without any beneficial mineral ions, and are not the best choice if you want water that is nourishing, and tastes crisp and refreshing.
- Aluminum Oxide Defluoridation Filter. These filters often require frequent cartridge changes, but can be quite reasonably priced. Here is one of the better brands. >>
- Distillation Filtration. There are commercially available distillation filters that can be purchased to remove fluoride from water. On a related note: When looking at bottled water, keep in mind that “distilled water” does not imply that a product is suitable for drinking, and other undesirable impurities may be present.
These Do NOT Remove Fluoride
- Brita, Pur, and most other filters. Some websites about fluoride removal state otherwise, but I checked the product descriptions on the companies’ websites to confirm that fluoride is left in the water.
- Boiling Water. This will concentrate the fluoride rather than reduce it.
- Freezing Water. Freezing water does not affect the concentration of fluoride.
Steps to Reduce Fluoride Exposure
- Don’t take fluoride supplements. Read the labels on your and your children’s vitamins carefully.
- Read labels on bottled beverages. Unless they are made using spring or reverse-osmosis water, they are probably made with fluoridated public tap water.
- Consider using unfluoridated toothpaste. There are many great brands like Tom’s of Maine, Weleda and more. Tom’s of Maine can even be found at better drug stores. You will also find a recipe for homemade toothpaste below.
- Be wary of tinned fish and canned food items. Fluoride may be used as a preservative.
- Avoid black or red rock salt or items containing black or red rock salt.
- Avoid using chewing tobacco. Ew. There are many, many reasons to avoid this, not just the fluoride.
- Avoid long term use of medication that contains fluorine. Certain antidepressants and medications for osteoporosis contain fluoride.
This movie from the Environmental Working Group sums up how and why to avoid fluoride wherever you can.
This is the Small Footprint Family recipe for fluoride-free toothpaste. It helps remove stains, leaves a fresh feeling in the mouth, helps cure sensitive teeth, and it saves money.
Homemade No-Fluoride Toothpaste
- 3 Tbsp. baking soda
- 1 Tbsp. finely ground sea salt
- A few drops peppermint, wintergreen, anise, clove or cinnamon bark essential oil, according to the taste you want (be sparing, they are very strong)
- 1 tsp. xylitol or a few drops of liquid stevia (optional)
- 1/2 tsp. crushed sage (optional antimicrobial)
- Extra Virgin coconut oil
- Mix all ingredients but coconut oil to taste.
- Mix in a teaspoon of coconut oil at a time until you find the right consistency for you.
- Put into a sealable jar or squeezable container.
- Brush!
If you don’t want to make your own toothpaste, Toothsoap is an excellent, all-natural tooth cleaning alternative. Because it has no glycerine, it leaves your teeth “dental-visit” clean and ready to be remineralized by your body.
In Part 2, we’ll discuss what really causes tooth decay and how to prevent it naturally, non-toxically and cost-effectively.
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