FLUORIDE OR NO? IT'S THE METHOD THAT MATTERS

Fluoride gas or liquid mixed into your water supply, without your permission, is none too nice.  Who gave the county or municipal water authorities permission to put a chemical, a drug, into the water supply for everyone to ingest?  Good question.  Who authorized such a move?  

Without ever getting an answer to that question, what we usually hear is that fluoride was put into the water supply because the city deemed it beneficial for consumer's or resident's teeth.  Well, thank you very much.  Can I have another?  So as city or county officials bide their time while residents debate the benefits to their teeth of fluoride in the water, that helps to deflect any accounting or criticism thereof.  So one antagonist is the city or county.  So let's test this theory that fluoride in the water supply protects teeth from getting cavities or the more technical term, caries.  And just because dentists provide fluoride treatments, does that ensure that fluoride is of benefit?  Let's see.  At least at the dentist, we have a choice.  We can say no thank you to Dr. Eagan, whereas the government forces their edicts on residents in a given territory whether they want the stuff or not.  

Ardent researcher, Bill Sardi, points out that very little fluoride from fluoridated water is consumed.  

Why it’s even been shown that fluoride in tap water never reaches saliva levels to prevent dental caries. [Journal Environment Public Health 2013]  And was the rational to fluoridate tap water to prevent dental decay just a cover for population control? [Journal Toxicology Environmental Health1994]

So, fluoride in fluoridated water does not prevent cavities.  Does this mean that the amount of fluoride that we ingest from fluoridated water is okay for us?  Not exactly.  From the article that Sardi cited, it ends with this, "Blood levels during lifelong consumption can harm heart, bone, brain, and even developing teeth enamel."  So the concern then is the amount of fluoride you consume in fluoridated water OVER A LIFETIME.  My recommendation?  Drink bottled water.  This way you'll get less fluoride, less chlorine, less lead [by the way, lead poisoning is the 4th leading cause of death], and other heavy minerals.  

FLUORIDE IN TOOTHPASTE IS SAFER
Though it's animated, this review on how teeth grow isn't bad.  Consider it a review.  And I think that because too many of us don't take the best care, either from negligence or bad information, of our mouth, teeth, and gums that it doesn't hurt to start somewhere even if it is review.  

Bill Sardi points out that

Severe dental caries (cavities) in preschool children are more related to low blood levels of vitamin D rather than lack of use of fluoride toothpaste or fluoridated drinking water.  (Fluoride helps harden dental enamel and thus makes teeth resistant to acid-forming bacteria that induce cavities.)

So fluoride is important to protect your teeth; that, and vitamin D.

Vitamin A is good to maintain tooth pulp.  Vitamin D, like fluoride, hardens your enamel.  Vitamin C works to keep your gums healthy.  

So, to recap: D to harden enamel.  A to maintain tooth pulp.  C for gums.