Michelle says: I am not even sure I trust the dentists to do the teeth whitening. They say they can carefully control the application, but I am still really skeptical that the H2O2 itself cannot do long term damage to the enamel – and if one wants to be cynical – more business for them in the future in terms of cavities. After all this is still a profession that gives patients high dose fluoride treatments when the ex-head of the EPA under Clinton stated that when they did their internal testing, there was no more potent carcinogen than fluoride, and informed governments around the world are starting to remove it from the water supply.
The Beauty Brains respond:
Michelle’s comment comes from our recent post on using OxyClean to whiten teeth and we felt it deserved a quick rebuttal.
Is there a link between fluoride and cancer?
Fluoride and tooth decay share a long and interesting history. It all started with the discovery that people living in areas with water supplies with naturally occurring fluoride had lower incidence of cavities. This knowledge led to the addition of fluoride not only to toothpastes but to public drinking water. The latter prompted rumors of a Communist conspiracy which, mostly, have faded away. Health concerns associated with fluoride remain but there seems to be little data to indicate there’s really a problem in regard to cancer. In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control, adding fluoride to water supplies has been “one of the greatest achievements in public health in the 20th century.”
More importantly, multiple animal and human studies have failed to show a link between fluoride and cancer. Researchers reviewed over 2.2 million cancer death records and 125,000 cancer case records from places where fluoridated water is used and found no indication of increased cancer risk. You can read all the details at cancer.gov.
Are governments removing fluoride from water supplies?
Michelle’s comment about “informed governments” removing fluoride from drinking water is interesting but we could find no evidence to support that notion. It is true that too much fluoride can cause a condition called fluoridosis which can initially cause teeth to turn mottled and brown eventually cause irreversible skeletal and nerve damage. This condition is a problem in parts of the world which have high exposure to fluoride due eating food grown with fluoride-containing fertilizers, drinking ground water contaminated with excess fluoride, or breathing fumes generated by burning fluoride-containing coal. In those areas where this problem exists UNICEF is working on de-fluoridation programs with local governments. However this has nothing to do with cancer risk and it does NOT mean that governments are eliminating water fluoridation programs in areas that need it (in other words, areas that have low levels of naturally occurring fluoride.)
The bottom line
At the time of this writing, Michelle just posted an additional comment with some references that make a case against fluoride. You can read it here. If you time to jump down the rabbit hole, we suggest you read this reference she provided. We responded with additional references from skeptical websites that basically repeat what we’ve said above. It looks like this controversy rages on and while we appreciates Michelle’s point of view we’re not convinced. Hopefully, if fluoride really is dangerous, something will turn up in the mainstream, peer-reviewed scientific literature. In the meantime we’ll keep brushing with our Colgate with fluoride.
Image credit: http://fc07.deviantart.net/
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
I am speechless! Cancer in a toothpaste1 You never know when the danger is waiting for you.
Interesting to note that The National Kidney Founbdation is now taking a neutral position on this one. There just is no conclusive evidence to show that is is unhealthy whereas the dental evidence for fluoridation is pretty conclusive. Another study in 2008 reports that fluride helps to reduce risk of fractures so it must help osteoporosis somewhat. I think there has been too much fuss about it.
My dad grew up on non fluoridated well water and now he has no teeth left. They fell out and chipped from a young age. Same with his brother and sister all their teeth are in bad shape.
Thanks for writing this! I am very into natural beauty, and follow many fellow enthusiasts on twitter, blogs, etc. I have seen over and over again people talking about how you need to switch to natural, fluoride free toothpaste. It really ticks me off! The ADA and the CDC both recommend fluorinated water and toothpaste. In fact, fluorinated water is considering one of the major public health achievements of the 20th century. The websites that claim fluoride is toxic or a conspiracy look about as legitimate as the ones that claimed the world was ending in 2012. Beyond that, I get annoyed about this because it’s really medical advice, and while of course anyone can give you health advice, it’s obnoxious to see people putting bad advice out there.
I used to work with a guy who believed all this crap – wouldn’t touch tap water because of it. The amusing thing was he used to drink bottled water instead. And bottled water companies don’t even have to tell you the amount of flouride in their water, and if it is natural spring water from a region with a flouride then it is likely his precious bottled water would have WAY MORE flouride in than our tap water! Mwahahahahaha
And to match your anecdote with one of mine Rozy, I too have grown up with flouridated water and toothpaste and I have perfect teeth!
I have always been against fluor, and looking for natural toothpastes without it. Thanks for the post.
I’ve read that there are harmful ingredients in a lot of skin care products as well. You can find the list of these dangerous ingredients on the internet.