Misinformation campaigns increasingly target the cavity-fighting mineral, prompting communities to reverse mandates. Dentists are enraged. Parents are caught in the middle.
The culture wars have a new target: your teeth.
Communities across the U.S. are ending public water fluoridation programs, often spurred by groups that insist that people should decide whether they want the mineral — long proven to fight cavities — added to their water supplies.
The push to flush it from water systems seems to be increasingly fueled by pandemic-related mistrust of government oversteps and misleading claims, experts say, that fluoride is harmful.
“The anti-fluoridation movement gained steam with Covid,” said Dr. Meg Lochary, a pediatric dentist in Union County, North Carolina. “We’ve seen an increase of people who either don’t want fluoride or are skeptical about it.”
There should be no question about the dental benefits of fluoride, Lochary and other experts say. Major public health groups, including the American Dental Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, support the use of fluoridated water. All cite studies that show it reduces tooth decay by 25%.
I’m very much on the pro-flouride but it came up in a conversation with my coworker who won’t drink tap water.
I said that in a country without universal healthcare, fluoride is free dental care. He said he agreed about the benefit to teeth but his concern was with what it might do to your body. He’s a health nut but not a conspiracy theories and I was really thrown off and didn’t have a counterpoint.
I just assumed it was fine because I knew fluoride is often found in water naturally…but…can someone with more knowledge tell me how they would have replied? I don’t like speaking on things I can’t back up with data so I just let it go
I’m having thyroid problems, and in trying to research iodine, I have found that fluoride can have a negative impact on thyroid function. This link is the best I can do on the subject, given that I’m not sure how to find much trustworthy information. It says that as long as iodine intake is sufficient, the fluoride shouldn’t be a problem. But I’m finding conflicting info on what constitutes sufficient iodine intake.
If you consume any iodized salt you should be good on that, unless you have a medical condition that prevents your body from absorbing it properly. In fact people don’t really get goiters anymore since the introduction of iodized salt which was done to prevent said goiters(a goiter is a swollen thyroid from lack of iodine intake iirc).
I was not using iodized salt at all. I think since “elevated” cooking has become so popular, I can’t be the only one who was eschewing it (Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat straight up recommends avoiding it). I also don’t eat much seafood. When I was diagnosed hypothyroid 25 years ago, I was told I had a goiter. And not told much else.
I’m just an internet rando, but I’d definitely recommend talking to your doctor about iodized salt intake or alternatives. Iodine was added to salt when they figured out people living in middle America away from the shorelines had severe iodine deficiencies and goiters were very common. That’s all I know about it. I just like weird history tidbits like that
Interesting, thanks for the link! I figured there had to be something to it because he’s a really smart guy and not in any way conspiratorial. His teeth are also in great shape so his way of living doesn’t appear to be hurting anyone.
For the record, he was not preaching. I was just filling up from the kitchen sink while he used the filtered water thingy so it came up. He was talking only about himself when he expressed his concern
ah sick, as someone with vitiligo, this is yet another thing i should put on the extremely metaphorical back burner here.
(the partial joke here is that people with vitiligo have increased chances of having thyroidal issues due to the immune system or whatever the fuck, health is fun.)
Mercury is naturally occurring in water as well. That’s not really a guide to go by.
idk probably maybe tell him to never put anything into his mouth that isn’t IMMEDIATELY sterilized, before, during and after the process of entering your mouth for fear of possible contaminants getting into your body.
I know you’re being sarcastic but I at least appreciate that you actually answered my question unlike the other replies.
im not being sarcastic tbh. If you’re that concerned about something like fluoride in the water, you best be sure you never accidentally touch the ground outside, and then put your hand near your mouth.
There are so many more significant things to worry about, even being near someone who is sick is probably going to be more detrimental to your health.
but yes i am definitely being dramatic, it’s fun :)
Ok, replace sarcastic with hyperbolic and I still appreciate it. Everyone else is just shitting on my coworker like he’s MAGA flat earther. What I should have really said is that he consumes more flouride by brushing his teeth than he would drinking tap water
yeah, at the end of the day it’s important to be capable of gauging the importance of something. Even more so than actually understanding that specific within the importance.