[M_bara]

This is something life changing for some of us. I grew up in an area where water has a lot of fluoride and we didn’t get to know until I was 16.. side effect is I have very brittle teeth.. I’ve shattered a couple due to bad rice (had a small stone in it), lentils, sliver of bone … Now, the kicker is Colgate et al have been marketing fluoride toothpaste to the same region to people facing fluorosis knowingly - profits above all else. so if this treatment comes through, I’ll be lining up!

[lgleason]

I thought the fluoride was supposed to be good for teeth, I guess too much has the opposite effect. TIL

[coffeebeqn]

You’re not supposed to swallow it. It builds up in the body (in teeth mainly?)

[chaorace]

To be clear: drinking water sources often contain flouride and swallowing water is generally not optional. The source can be natural or artificial, but the outcome will be the same if you get an unusually excessive amount during developmental years. As with all nutrients, too much will inevitably become bad for you (thankfully, in the case of flouride, the therapeutic index is quite generous)

With all of this being said, once you're an adult there's no longer any particularly viable pathways from the bloodstream to your outer teeth, so flouride in the body becomes mostly disconnected from flouride in the teeth (and vice versa). Flouride's effects on the body are less well understood, albeit only because we struggle to measure such apparently small effects on a general population.

[mrits]

My mom was obsessed with flouride in water so I actually asked my dentist about it. According to an actual health professional it is quite good for the teeth and excessive amounts only affect the appearance not structure.

[Auracle]

Today’s the day you find out “actual health professionals” can be wrong or no longer up to date.

That’s why second opinions on important things are vital.

[mrits]

I'll take the word of the health professional, thanks

[aatd86]

Good luck. I have had my fair share of wrong diagnostics myself.

Turns out health professionals are themselves skeptics... (covid showed us already)

Well it's science and at some point, science claimed that earth was flat so...

Good luck again :D

(point is, don't trust blindly)

[guerrilla]

That actual health professional was wrong. It depends on the exposure. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dental_fluorosis

[mrits]

I recommend reading that again, or better yet, ask your dentist to explain why you are wrong

[guerrilla]

> The severity of the condition is dependent on the dose, duration, and age of the individual during the exposure.

> Severe : 5 : All enamel surfaces are affected and hypoplasia is so marked that the general form of the tooth may be affected. The major diagnostic sign of this classification is discrete or confluent pitting. Brown stains are widespread and teeth often present a corroded-like appearance.

[Sharlin]

Fluoride catalyzes remineralization of dissolved calcium and phosphate atoms back to hydroxyapatite; this also happens without fluoride, but less efficiently. In addition fluorine ions can substitute the hydroxide ions in hydroxyapatite, forming fluorapatite which is more resistant against acid.

[iamflimflam1]

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/fluoride/

Millions of people in England receive fluoridated water. This means fluoride has been added to bring it up to around 1mg of fluoride per litre of water, which is a level found to reduce tooth decay levels.

Now I know there is a running joke around the English having bad teeth. But I imagine if millions of people were having issues we’d know about it.

[therealdrag0]

Added fluoride is done at safe levels. But some natural water sources have TOO MuCH fluoride which is unsafe. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fluoride_toxicity#Bones

[marcosdumay]

Too much of most things is bad.

[adaml_623]

Too much of anything will kill you...

[dingosity]

I always thought we started fluoridation of water so the Soviets couldn't figure out how much uranium (and later plutonium) we were producing. UF6 is a bi-product of uranium enrichment and it's fairly straight-forward to estimate how much we're producing by taking water samples at the mouths of various rivers. But if everyone is brushing their teeth with fluoride, then it's a lot harder to accurately measure how much is due to enrichment.

This is very clearly a conspiracy theory, but water fluoridation is one of those topics that seems to attract them.

[jebby]

Fluoride is good for your teeth. Not sure what you're talking about, but it's scientifically inaccurate. Also, fluorosis is a cosmetic issue, it doesn't weaken your teeth. And it happens when you're growing your permanent teeth when your parents forget to teach you to not swallow your toothpaste. It wouldn't affect you now.

If your water is over-fluorinated, you have far bigger problems that stem from your local government.

[Retric]

You’re wrong on both counts. The geology of many areas cause excess fluoride in well water without any government intervention, which can then become worse when using fluorinated toothpaste. It’s rarely a significant issue in the US, but gets far in some countries.

“These sources include drinking water with fluoride, fluoride toothpaste—especially if swallowed by young children” Ie: swallowing makes it worse but the point of fluoride in toothpaste is to be absorbed, so some will get absolutely even in those who already have issues.

https://www.cdc.gov/fluoridation/faqs/dental_fluorosis/index....

[mb7733]

Seems to be a cosmetic issue only?

[Auracle]

Some studies have shown it (high fluoride, and possibly too low of fluoride too) affecting IQ.

It’s a shame if you mention anything about possible negative effects of fluoride you get lumped in with the crazies.

[jajko]

Yeah rat poison can't harm humans regardless of form, concentration, age or literally any possible factor. Trust us with lives of your kids, we say so.

(just to be clear I am a rational science freak, but my kids have higher priority and we know scientists and corporations have messed up more than once, not going into 'just trust us' with literal poison just because it has good side effects on teeth)

[Retric]

> cosmetic issue only?

Only at low levels: “Moderate and severe forms of dental fluorosis, which are far less common, cause more extensive enamel changes. In the rare, severe form, pits may form in the teeth.”

[tredre3]

> And it happens when you're growing your permanent teeth when your parents forget to teach you

He said it happened as he grew up. Wikipedia says almost half of Americans have at least mild fluorisis, there's no need to blame the parents when an environmental/governmental cause is so readily established...

> Also, fluorosis is a cosmetic issue

That's what I thought too but Wikipedia also disagrees on this count:

The pits, bands, and loss of areas of enamel seen in severe fluorosis are the result of damage to the severely hypomineralized, brittle and fragile enamel which occurs after they erupt into the mouth.

[yarg]

Fluorosis is not a cosmetic issue - it can be severe enough that it impacts the strength of the skeleton.

Even if that was not the case, you'd need to prove that it's better than hydroxyapatite when applied topically, which (assuming effective) delivery will obviously not be the case.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3295994/

[jyxent]

Anybody who lives in a rural area with a well could have higher levels of natural occuring fluoride in their water too.

[Auracle]

You could, though at least when I bought my house a well test was required.

[therealdrag0]

Not everyone has such regulation. There’s a problem with fluoride toxicity in India for example.