Fluoride
Basic Information about Fluoride
Fluoride is a form of the element Fluorine. Fluoride is an anion. Fluoride has more electrons than protons causing it to have a negative charge. Fluorine that has a covalent bond is called fluoride. A covalent bond is chemical bond where pairs of electrons are shared between elements. Two atoms share electrons to create the bond.
Naturally, there are many fluorine minerals. Fluoride can be found naturally in low amounts in water and foods. Water that has a source underground will most likely have more fluoride present. Seawater has even more fluorine than fresh water. Seawater has around a 1.3 parts per million concentration of fluoride; whereas fresh water has around a .02 parts per million concentration of fluoride.
Even though fluoride can naturally be found in water, some areas do not have a high enough concentration, so it has been added to the drinking water. You can find fluoride in fluoridated water. This type of water has a fluoride level that can prevent tooth decay and cavities. When fluorinated water is drunk, low levels of fluoride are produced in the saliva, which in turn helps the tooth enamel to reduce the rate it decays. Water is fluoridated to try and prevent tooth decay among children and poor people. There is a debate on whether or not adding fluoride to water is safe. Some people believe that adding fluoride to water is not ethical, legal, or safe.
Adding fluoride to a community source of water began in the middle of the 1940s. There was a study in an area where fluoride in the water naturally occurred in higher levels. The researchers found that the children had lower levels of tooth decay. The idea that fluoride can help prevent tooth decay goes back to the early 1900s. There are three periods that the history of adding fluoride to water can be separated into. The first period, from 1900s to the 1930s, was researching the cause of tooth enamel being covered in patches of different colors. The second period, from 1930s to the 1940s, was centered on the connection between fluoride and the prevention of tooth decay. The third period, which began in the middle of the 1940s, is when fluoride starting to be added to a community source of water. Adding fluoride to water, in the United States, became the official policy of the U.S. Public Health Service in the 1950s and ten years later it was added to water throughout the entire United States.
Other countries have followed a similar course with adding fluoride to their water. New Zealand began adding fluoride to their water in the 1950s. Brazil began adding fluoride to their water in the 1970s. Water fluoridation began in Ireland in the 1960s. In 2007, Austrailia created a review about water fluoridation. They found adding fluoride to water is the best way to expose communities to fluoride in order to prevent tooth decay.
The opposing side has many reasons to oppose adding fluoride to water. The opposing side believes that fluoridation does not significantly affect the amount of tooth decay. They believe that modern oral hygiene has helped with the decline in tooth decay over the years not adding fluoride to water.
There are other reported negative effects which can occur from too much fluoride, over the recommended adequate daily intake, for a long period of time. Many of these studies are in doubt due to the volatile nature of opinions regarding the fluoridation of water. The main opposition to adding fluoride to the water supply is safety of having fluoridated water. One of the big effects is dental fluorosis. Dental fluorosis is when a child received too much fluoride while their teeth were developing. The most critical years to watch for the exposure to fluoride are between the ages of one year old and four years old. Most commonly, dental fluorosis is seen as small white streaks that run down the tooth, which is many times not noticeable. Dental fluorosis can range from these white streaks to black and brown stains on the teeth. The severity depends on the amount of exposure the child had to fluoride during the critical years of one to four years old and the overall health and nutrition of the child. The concern about adding fluoride to water is that the natural levels of fluoride in the water are above what are recommended. In order to help young children avoid the risk of dental fluorosis, in 2006 the American Dental Association started recommending that young babies from the ages of zero months to twelve months use fluoride free water in their formula.
In industrialized countries, incidents dental fluorosis is increasing even though the water in these countries is not fluoridated. This is happening because of the toothpaste children are swallowing that has fluoride in it. Other effects the opposing side is concerned with along with dental fluorosis are skeletal fluorosis and weakened bones.
Many people have strong opinions that the fluoridation of water is actually some type of communist or socialist plot against the United States. These people believe that the idea of doing something for the general good of the overall public actually infringes on their personal liberties to live their own lives. These political opinions can often lead many people to publish erroneous information on both sides of the water fluoridation debate. So any information about the benefits or adverse effects of fluoride needs to be taken with a grain of salt.
Sources of Fluoride
Most people get the needed amount of fluoride from eating seafood, tea, and fluoridated water. Foods that are cooked with water that has been fluoridated will also contain enough fluoride. Even though drinking water is usually where the most fluoride is found, fluoride can also be found in toothpaste, salt, and milk. Using fluoride toothpaste is the method of getting fluoride that is used the most. Fluoride being added to toothpaste did not begin until the 1970s. Researchers believe that using fluoride enhanced toothpaste is one of the contributing factors in lowering of the amount of tooth decay found in people who live in industrialized countries and those who are of lower incomes. In addition to getting fluoride from those areas, fluoride has been added to mouthwash.
Tooth Decay and Fluoride
A deficiency of fluoride can appear as tooth decay. Next to the common cold, tooth decay is a common disorder. Tooth decay is caused by plaque that is left on teeth. Plaque is a buildup of a combination of bacteria, acid, food particles, and saliva. You can find plaque in many areas of the mouth: the back molars, the gum line, and around fillings. The plaque that is left on the teeth becomes tartar. If these two things are not cleaned off the teeth regularly, tooth decay will start to take over. Another common name for tooth decay is cavities. Cavities are holes in the teeth where acid has eaten away at the enamel, the hard surface on the tooth. If cavities and tooth decay are not treated, the bacteria can cause teeth to break and eat at the insides of the tooth, eventually causing the tooth to fall out.
A person may not realize they have tooth decay. One of the earliest signs of tooth decay is a chalky white spot on the tooth. This means the enamel on the tooth is being eaten away by the bacteria. Eventually the chalky white substance will turn brown and a cavity is formed. However, before a cavity is formed, things can be done to fix the tooth. Another sign a person has a decaying tooth is the nerves in the tooth become very sensitive and the tooth will begin to hurt. The pain of the tooth will intensify with it comes in contact with something hot, cold, or sweet. A third sign of tooth decay is bad breath. The bacteria in the mouth that helps to break down the foods into acids causes gases to form once the proteins are broken down.
Tooth decay can be reduced with small amounts of fluoride. Fluoride is a form of calcium helps to create strong bones and teeth. Strong teeth have a lower chance of decay.
Getting Enough Fluoride in a Diet
Thanks to the fluoridation of water systems in the United States, it isn’t recommended that a person add any additional fluoride supplementation to their normal diet. The fluoride in the water supplies should be enough to help a person towards the prevention of cavities. Yet, like fluoridation in water, it is a good idea to supplement a diet with important vitamins and minerals which the body needs to function.
The best way to get the right amount of nutrients in the body is through a proper diet. A healthy low fat diet which includes fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, whole grains, and lean meats is usually enough, depending on the health of the individual, to get all of the essential vitamins and minerals the body requires.
Yet, the simple truth is very few people actually eat a full enough diet not to be lacking an essential vitamin and mineral. When the body is lacking an essential vitamin or mineral it will not function properly. The other problem is many of the essential vitamins and minerals, like potassium for example, cannot be easily stored in the human body. The body needs a constant daily intake of some essential vitamins and minerals.
The best way to ensure the body gets the nutrients it needs is by taking a reputable daily multivitamin. A good daily multivitamin will help to fill in the gaps of a normal healthy diet. The multivitamin will also help to bridge the deficiencies which occur due to changing health issues.
When looking for a good multivitamin look for one which is gender specific. Why? There are two major reasons. First, males and females need different amounts of vitamins and minerals. A gender specific vitamin will be able to give more of the vitamins and minerals which males and females normally struggle to obtain. Second, there are many subpar vitamin manufactures. For the health of the person taking the vitamin it is important to find a manufacture which is reputable. A manufacture with differing vitamins for males and females is a helpful indication of their legitimacy—although it is always recommended to investigate any vitamin company before making a purchase.
