The federal government has finally admitted what many of us have suspected – the water supply has been over fluoridated.While the proponents of fluoridation of water claim fluoride will decrease dental decay, evidence shows that fluoride adversely affects the thyroid. This is not a surprise since iodine plays a major role in the thyroid, and fluoride is chemically similar to iodine. So, a patient with lots of fluoride will have iodine displaced by fluoride, which doesn’t perform the functions in the body like it’s supposed to. In my practice, I have so many patients who indicate on their medical history that they have a thyroid condition. WOW!
Additionally, teeth exposed to too much fluoride take on a brown blotchy appearance instead of the pearly whites that most of us strive to have.
I am personally against water fluoridation. As far as dental benefits, there are enough products that can be placed right on teeth to help provide the desired improvement from fluoride. Dental products containing fluoride, when used correctly should not create a situation of over fluoridation.
The new proposed government guidelines will lower the amount of fluoride in the water. That should provide some improvement to the adverse effects of this chemical. I personally used bottled water that does not have any fluoride. I’m a bit worried about drinking the Atlanta City water since there have been reports of many unwanted chemicals, like Prozac, in the water. I’m glad we have water filtration, but there are still many more chemicals than one should not have in the public water supply. Decreasing fluoride exposure from our water is a small step in the right direction.