The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday announced it will begin the process of pulling prescription fluoride drops and tablets for children off the market. The supplements are usually given to kids at high risk for cavities.
The federal government and some state legislatures are increasingly drawing attention to what they claim are the risks associated with fluoride, a mineral that’s been used for decades in community water systems, toothpastes and mouth rinses to prevent tooth decay.
Dentists fiercely contest the notion that the harms of fluoride outweigh the benefits.
Obviously education about brushing and flossing and a healthy diet help more, if the family is able to afford the food and toothbrushes and regular dental care. But in areas where (natural or added) fluoride levels in the water are higher (within a limit of 1.5 ppm, twice what is set for when fluoride is added), there is observed to be less tooth decay and better overall dental health even when controlling the data for the elements you cited.
I am merely trying to drive home the point that all tooth decay is preventable. It’s not some magic genetic defect or simply because fluoride isn’t at the right concentration in water. If your children’s teeth or your own are rotting out, it’s a multifaceted issue, but not outside your own personal responsibility.
We can all do better for ourselves and our children. I am sure I informed people about the proper application of fluoride because no dentist I’ve ever had taught me. They never taught me to monitor for plaque or rinse acid off.
Our diets are literal trash and regulators refuse to regulate for children and adults alike. High fructose corn syrup used to be in most bread and sugar is still added, sugar (HFCS or otherwise) is added to children’s snacks in vast quantities, common dry snacks on shelves (e.g. oreos, cookies) are terrible for our teeth, candy is made to appeal to children, cereal is awful and appeals to children — literally anything you look at that isn’t a whole food, meat, and certain grains is generally ultra-processed and loaded with sugars and potentially acids that rot our teeth.
Rice, pasta, beans, some meat, unsweetened yogurts, and certain vegetables/fruits are all cheap and accessible to everyone. Not all bread is created equal, but it’s also accessible.
Dental care is inaccessible, and that’s the real reason why enamel damage is allowed to progress to decay. Dentists (and schooling for children) do not adequately explain proper dental home care (and what to do after consuming certain problematic foods).
Common toothpastes and dental products trash our oral microbiome as well. I don’t care what the ADA says about these companies, common products suck. When I use typical products, immediately acid-creating bacteria grow in my mouth, no matter how thorough (and comprehensive) my routine is, how often I go to the dentist, how clean my diet is, and how much water I drink. They can do better — and fuck them for the plastic microbeads they added to toothpastes I used growing up.
Hope you understand my reasoning for response.