Dentistry Fluride Bottled Water

Could Bottled Water Be Damaging Your Smile?

By Daniel Hawn

Published on April 19, 2008

Consumer demand for bottled water has skyrocketed in recent years due in part to the alleged benefits of staying properly hydrated. Weight loss, an improved complexion, and reduced toxins are all benefits you can expect from drinking eight glasses of water a day - or so we've been told. Whatever the truth behind these claims, dentists have raised a concern about bottled water that may have you thinking twice about using it as your primary thirst buster. It turns out that most bottled water does not contain fluoride, a cavity-fighting mineral that is found naturally in water and soil. Does this mean you should ditch your Aquafina® and head to the sink every time you get thirsty? According to many dental experts, that depends on how well you take care of your teeth overall.

Why Your Tap Water May Be Spiked with Fluoride

In 1945, the government began adding fluoride to community water supplies to reduce the prevalence of tooth decay. The move was spurred by studies showing that people who drank from water supplies containing natural sources of fluoride had fewer cavities. Today, 67 percent of the U.S. population has access to water that is treated with fluoride. Studies in the U.S. and other countries have shown that people who live in communities where water fluoridation is used experience 15 to 40 percent less tooth decay. So significant have been the benefits of public water fluoridation, in fact, that, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the technology stands as "one of the 10 great public health achievements of the 20th century."

Does Drinking Bottled Water Contribute to Cavities?

The dental community's concern over bottled water stems from the fact that most brands do not contain fluoride. The filtration process used by beverage companies to improve the taste of water usually eliminates any fluoride contained in the water. As to the question of whether drinking bottled water contributes to the development of cavities, the Centers for Disease Control says that depends on several factors. A person's oral health is the product of many factors, only one of which is the amount of fluoride he or she gets. Moreover, fluoride is contained in many products besides water, such as toothpaste, mouthwash, and food, and is used in some dental treatments as well. In other words, simply drinking bottled water instead of tap water doesn't guarantee that you'll develop tooth decay as a result.

The Bottom Line:

If you normally drink bottled water, you need to be sure you're getting enough fluoride from other sources; otherwise, you may end up having to visit your dentist more frequently than you'd like.

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Comments

1

There is no evidence that drinking non-fluoridated tap or bottled water can lead to more tooth decay. In fact, drinking fluoridated water can ruin your teeth with dental fluorosis - white spotted, yellow, brown and/or pitted teeth.

the Centers for Disease Control reports that up to 48% of US School children sport dental fluorosis with up to 4% having severe cases

We need fluoride out of all our water supplies tap - and bottled!

nyscof
about 1 year ago

2

actually you are mistaken in this article. When I contacted the bottled water association, they could not recommend ONE brand of water without fluoride. Fluoride is a TOXIN and harms human health in many devastating ways, which is why it was banned in Europe over a decade ago. Why not here? Corporate power. They love to fluoridate public water because they get PAID to get rid of their waste, instead of having to PAY to dispose of it, and to hell with human health.

jeanruss
about 1 year ago

3

Water fluoridation was never "banned" in Europe, and the practice continues in the United Kingdom, showing that assertion to be false. While there is still debate over the effects and merits of fluoridation, there is nothing to be gained by simply parroting the misleading, unscientific, conspiracy-nut propaganda of anti-fluoridation zealots.

Aaron Poehler
about 1 year ago

4

Dear Big Brother,
Please don't put flouride in my drinking water. I brush my teeth, floss, and gargle twice a day. I don't need some chemical added to my drinking water thank you very much. To be honest I doubt that you really care about my pearly whites. Come on.. What's the real reason you put that stuff in the water? Does it have anything to do with Eugenics? Population reduction? You can tell me. I won't tell anyone.

Concerned,
David

david
about 1 year ago

5

I lived in a place with extremely high fluoridated water and my mouth was full of cavities as a child. They were all filled with mercury amalgam fillings. Now at the age of 24, I have chronic mercury poisoning from the amalgams. Government, thanks for taking care of me. You did a great job of protecting me.

Birdlady
about 1 year ago

6

flouride is terrible and beyond that you recieve it from nearly everything you consume already. most people take in too much flouride on a daily basis without counting flouridated water. chlorine and flouride are destroying our minds and bones. i cant beleive any medical proffesional would recomend this information that youve displayed.

ben
about 1 year ago

7

What a stupid article. Why doesn't the author google all of the harmful effects of fluoride and then compare it to the benefits? There's a whole list of harmful effects and the only benefit I can find is prevention of cavities.. By the way, once you start doing some research you'll find that drinking fluoride does not help the teeth. It's only beneficial when applied topically, such as toothpaste.

BRAINWASHED
about 1 year ago

8

All of these messages are true. Fluoride is a toxic by product, and is labeled as WASTE. Why is waste being ADDED to our tap water? And how could ingesting fluoride even begin to help our teeth when it supposed to be contact with the substance that strengthens tooth enamel? This additive is destroying us.

Dicky
10 months ago

9

Flouridation is not in our best interests. Whats scary is why is it being targeted toward children?

Its been proven flouride directly effects the pineal gland in the center of the brain, over time calcifying the gland. Do they care? Nope. This is why if you give babies flouride it can ruin their sleep schedual, the pineal gland being a huge sleep controller. We need to get this stuff out of our systems, it makes me angry just thinking about the lies.

Loki
8 months ago

10

as a dental hygienist and PROFESSIONAL, I agree with some of the statements here. Fluoride can cause poisoning, a condition called Fluorsis, where the enamel of the teeth is grossly disfigured, and it can lead to an aray of health problems.....IF YOU OVERDOSE ON IT! Thats like saying "I am going to have one cooked egg" would that raise your cholestrol? probably not, but you wouls have the benefits of the protein. Now lets try" I am going to have TEN cooked eggs, every day, for six months". ANYTHING IS HARMFUL IN EXCESS! The studies out there that say they provide CONCRETE evidence that fluoride is poison, READ THE STUDY! They gave rats 10 times thier body weight of fluoride for 4 weeks, enought o choke a horse, come on people, use some common sense. There are two types of Fluoride, topical and systemic. Systemic fluoride is the supplement or in the water, it is INGESTED, this type of fl only has benefit while the teeth are FORMING, from age birth to 12 years. After that age, there is NO REASON for people to drink or intake fl supplements. TOPICAL fluoride is applied or rinsed with, and this is beneficial IN MODERATION for adult teeth as well as childrens teeth. Next you will be spouting the poisonous effects of Dihydorgen Monoxide. Look that one up!

eyecleen
8 months ago

11

eyecleen, you are a dull-minded moron, and so are a good majority of other dentists out there.
Little things do add up to big things you do know that right? Sure you don't take that much flouride in and you'll be fine for NOW... but 30 years down the road those health effects start popping up out of nowhere and YOU WONDER WHY? It's called long term health effects that are added up in small quantities but I assure you the damage would be cumulative, just cause we don't know much about it know, doesn't mean it will stay that way for long.

ALSO, topical flouride, surprise! Your gums can easily absorb chemicals, INCLUDING flouride! I will say it again, even in small quantities the damage that flouride can cause may not be apparent now, but wait til you are older. I'll laugh.

Use the brain you were born with.

CountSymphonic
6 months ago

12

Oh and when I say that your gums can and will absorb chemicals... I mean it absorbs chemicals straight into your bloodstream. Flouride... which is also an active ingredient of a great deal of pesticides and rat poison and what have you, goes right into your bloodstream every time you brush your teeth with this crap. Way to defend your disgusting product. Sodium Flouride is highly soluble.

CountSymphonic
6 months ago

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