Fluoride

Fluorine is a chemical element with the atomic number 9. Fluoride is an inorganic, monatomic anion of fluorine. An anion is an atom or a molecule which is negatively charged which means it has more electrons than protons.

Fluoride is often added to toothpastes and tap water because it is believed it can prevent tooth decay by strengthening the tooth enamel. However, once ingested, fluoride compounds attack the structural integrity of the insides.

Collagen, a web like network connecting the skeletal system to muscles, is torn apart by fluoride. It can be felt as joint stiffness, ligament damage and aching bones. This same mechanism leads to browning of teeth, an outcome known as dental fluorosis. Children exposed to too much fluoride up until the age of nine can develop this brown mottling of the tooth enamel.

Fluoride, in correct doses, can assist with the preservation of strong bones, because it promotes the uptake of calcium in the body. It protects against and treats osteoporosis and can help to prevent heart problems. Furthermore, it can prevent the calcification of organs and muscle skeleton structures.

Fluoride can also prevent diseases from decaying the body as it is a germicide and acts as an antidote to poison, sickness and disease.

There is a strong affinity between calcium and fluoride. These two elements, when combined, work particularly in the outer parts of bones. They are found in the enamel of the teeth and the shiny, highly polished bone surface. Fluoride strengthens tooth enamel and decreases mouth bacteria.

NOTE: Tea makes a great mouthwash since it inhibits the growth of E. coli and Streptococcus bacteria.

Fluoride deficiency

A lack of fluoride can lead to anaemia, infertility, osteoporosis and teeth spoilage.

Fluoride overdose

Tap water suppliers in Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States of America were once instructed by health authorities to add fluoride to drinking water to try to prevent tooth decay. This chemical is toxic and also sold as rat poison. Any health authority who reviews the data, in an unbiased way, would never allow the addition of fluoride to drinking water. In fact, some medical studies show more tooth decay in fluoridated areas.

Fortunately, the practice has mostly been abandoned in England and Wales apart from some areas in the Midlands, Northwest and Northeast of England. In the USA approximately 63% of Americans still receive fluoridated water through their public water systems. In Australia approximately 89% of the Australian population still has fluoridated drinking water

All nations should give the practice based on the research and on the principle of people’s right to choose whether or not to have their water medicated. Adding fluoride has nothing to do with the safety of the water, and, in fact, makes it much more toxic.

Fluorides are very toxic chemicals, considered as toxic as mercury or lead. Also, the compound often used, hydrofluosilicic acid, is not pure fluoride but rather a smokestack waste product from fertiliser factories that is about 30% fluoride. It also contains heavy metals, kerosene, benzene, radioactive substances and other toxins. It has now been classed by scientists as a neurotoxin.

Too much fluoride can cause dental fluorosis (that characterise itself as spots on the tooth enamel), a loss of the appetite and finally calcification of the backbone. Fluorosis occurs when more than 10 mg per day is ingested. Fluoride builds-up in the brain, thyroid and bones and can cause hypothyroidism which can lead to weight gain and depression.

Fluoride excess can also cause iodine deficiency which has been shown in studies of populations where tap water has been fluoridated.

To avoid fluoride toxicity it is best to only drink tap drink water that has no fluoride added or mineral water that has been bottled at source. Carbon filters can remove chlorine but do not remove fluoride whereas reverse osmosis water filters will remove at least 95% of fluoride

A home-made toothpaste consisting of bicarbonate of soda and cold pressed coconut oil or tea tree oil is a good alternative to use a few times a week alongside a natural toothpaste which has no fluoride added.

Natural sources of fluoride

Recommended daily limit for fluoride ingestion

Fluoride intake should be limited to 1 mg per day for adults and for children up to 0.25 to 0.5 mg per day. 

Related subjects

• The A-Z of nutrients
• Anaemia
• Bacterial infections
• Bone and join disorders
• Calcium
• Heart disorders
• Infertility
• Iodine
• Minerals
• Osteoporosis
• Teeth and gum disorders