CDC Warns Against Too Much Fluoride in Kids’ Toothpaste, Ignores Harms From Fluoridated Water

By  Dr. Joseph Mercola

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns against children using too much toothpaste, but fluoridated water is an even more significant source of harmful fluoride exposure, experts say.

Story at-a-glance:According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 40% of children between the ages of 3 and 6 use potentially dangerous amounts of toothpaste.The CDC and American Dental Association (ADA) recommend using no more than a pea-sized amount for children in this age group, and those younger than 3 should use no more than the size of a rice grain on their toothbrush.Fluoride-containing toothpastes have a warning on their label stating that “If you accidentally swallow more than used for brushing, seek professional help or contact a poison control center immediately.”While swallowing toothpaste is recognized as a cause for concern, health officials say drinking fluoridated water not only is safe, but beneficial for your teeth.Fluoridated water is a far more significant source of fluoride exposure than toothpaste. Research shows the prevalence of dental fluorosis among 10- to 12-year-olds in three Ecuadorian provinces is nearly 90%; a positive statistical relationship was found between dental fluorosis and consumption of bottled beverages.

According to the CDC, 40% of children between the ages of 3 and 6 use potentially dangerous amounts of toothpaste.

The CDC and ADA recommend using no more than a pea-sized amount for children in this age group, and those younger than 3 should use no more than the size of a rice grain on their toothbrush.

The problem with using excessive amounts of toothpaste has to do with the fluoride it contains. If you look closely, you’ll find fluoride-containing toothpastes have a warning on their label stating that “If you accidentally swallow more than used for brushing, seek professional help or contact a poison control center immediately.”

This warning was made mandatory for fluoride-containing dental products by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in April 1997.

Ironically, while swallowing toothpaste is recognized as a cause for concern, we’re supposed to believe that drinking fluoridated water in any quantity is not only safe but beneficial for our teeth.

Too much fluoride causes dental fluorosis

The fact of the matter is that fluoride is a toxic substance with no known biological imperative. Researchers have even questioned its efficacy as a topical anticaries prophylactic.

Dental caries are caused by the demineralization of your teeth by the acids formed during the bacterial fermentation of dietary sugars. Demineralization is countered by the deposit of minerals from your saliva. However, the remineralization process is a slow one, and fluoride is said to prevent dental caries by enhancing this remineralization.

The problem is that your teeth do not actually rely on fluoride for remineralization. What’s more, research has concluded that the protective shield fluoride forms on teeth is up to 100 times thinner than previously believed.

It has long been believed that fluoride changes the main mineral in tooth enamel, hydroxyapatite, into a more-decay resistant material called fluorapatite.

However, the researchers found that the fluorapatite layer formed in this way is only 6 nanometers thick — meaning it would take almost 10,000 such layers to span the width of a human hair.

As noted by the authors, “it has to be asked whether such narrow … layers really can act as protective layers for the enamel.”

Meanwhile, fluoride has been shown to cause significant systemic harm when ingested, which is part and parcel of the CDC’s 2019 warning against using too much toothpaste. As reported by the Chicago Sun-Times:

“Brushing with too much toothpaste can damage enamel, as children could swallow too much fluoride while their teeth are developing, the CDC says. This can cause dental fluorosis, white marks and discoloration of teeth.”

However, dental fluorosis is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to fluoride damage. For example, evidence shows fluoride is an endocrine disruptor that can affect your bones, brain, thyroid gland, pineal gland and even your blood sugar level. Importantly, it’s a known neurotoxin, shown to lower IQ in children.

Over half of U.S. kids have fluoride-damaged teeth

According to research presented at the April 2017 National Oral Health Conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico, 57% of youth between the ages of 6 and 19 years have dental fluorosis, a condition in which your tooth enamel becomes progressively discolored and mottled.

When Fluoride Action Network (FAN) researchers analyzed the same set of data, they found over 21% of adolescents had moderate fluorosis and 2% had severe fluorosis.

According to FAN, “The data suggests that up to 24 million adolescents now have some form of dental fluorosis, with over 8 million adolescents having moderate fluorosis, and 840,000 having severe fluorosis.”

Incredibly, the situation is still worsening. According to the most recent data, which has yet to be published, the dental fluorosis rate in the U.S. may now be a staggering 65%.

In stark contrast, when water fluoridation was first started in the U.S. in 1945, it was promised that only 10% of people would suffer from mild dental fluorosis at the then-recommended levels. Clearly, they were wrong.

In 2011, concerns over escalating fluorosis rates prompted the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to lower the recommended level of fluoride in drinking water, from a previously recommended range of 0.7 to 1.2 mg/L to 0.7 mg/L.

However, adverse effects, including reduced IQ, behavioral alterations, neurochemical changes, hypothyroidism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have been demonstrated even at that lower level, so while it reduced exposure for many, the most serious risks remain.

What’s more, reduced IQ has been seen in study participants with higher urinary fluoride concentrations even when no dental fluorosis was present, which suggests the doses of fluoride that impair cognitive ability are far lower than those that cause severe dental fluorosis.

[…]

https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/cdc-warns-against-fluoride-kids-toothpaste-ignores-harms-fluoridated-water/