Have you ever wondered why there is a poison label warning on your toothpaste?

No? Haven’t you ever notice that?

Hmmm….

Perhaps, you can have a close look next time when you brush your teeth.

“Keep out of reach of children under 6 years of age. If you accidentally swallow more than used for brushing, seek professional help or call a poison control center immediately.”

A warning mandated by FDA on fluoride toothpaste labels sold in the U.S.

Oral health

So …

You buy the same brand of a toothpaste over and over again because there is little difference between them, it seems. Sometimes you test a new brand or a new variant as seen on TV, on an ad or just out of curiosity, but the positive changes do not last. You meticulously follow the advice of dentists and brush your teeth with the best fluoride protection you can have, but you still suffer from bleeding gums, sensitive teeth or cavities.

It is disappointing, isn’t it?

There is however a way out. You need to use a different kind of a toothpaste in order to improve your oral health.

My experience

Since my early childhood I have been avidly brushing my teeth. Yet, I have had problematic teeth since I have ever remembered. My both childhood and teenage years were spent on frequent dentist appointments. To have my cavities treated. I dreaded them from all my heart.

The more challenges I encountered, however, the eager I was to brush my teeth. With a true dedication. I wanted to keep my teeth healthy and I took it as seriously as possible. I was using a generous amount of toothpaste on my toothbrush, probably 2-3cm long “snakes”. I simply imitated what I saw on posters and in media as a child, that is, a toothbrush fully covered with a toothpaste. Unfortunately, the condition of my teeth has only got worse. Despite all my efforts, at the age of 13 I got mottled teeth.

I couldn’t understand it. I was eagerly following the advice of dentists (as I understood it at that time), yet my teeth were in such a poor state. I was asking professionals for advice, kept educating myself, spent time on bettering my brushing technique and used sophisticated toothpastes. Everything in vain.

I also drastically cut on eating sugar and improved my diet. I was eating vegetables, quality meat and unprocessed food. Still, my problems continued.

I was told by the dentists that the condition of my teeth was being created by my poor quality saliva or a tendency I inherited from my ancestors. Or perhaps I didn’t brush the teeth in the end, while pretending I did.

Ah ah…

Since nothing could have been done about my teeth, I felt helpless. Until four years ago. It was the first time when I closely looked at the issue of fluoride.

Fluoride is toxic

For years I have believed that fluoride was to protect my teeth from decay. How wrong was I! How strong was my conditioning!

It did not cross my mind to question the effectiveness of fluoride in a toothpaste even though my personal experience proved the contrary. Four years ago I learned, however, that the assumption about the preventive action of fluoride was disputable, at least, and disproved, at most. More importantly, I understood that fluoride was toxic.

I was shocked.

Fluoride is a general term that describes compounds containing the gas of fluorine. Sodium fluoride (NaF) or sodium monofluorophosphate (SMFP) are compounds commonly used in toothpastes, but other compounds are used as well. Water fluoridation mostly relies on fluorosilicic acid (H2SiF6) or sodium fluorosilicate (Na2SiF6). Too much fluoride in the body becomes toxic, leading to fluorosis. While most dentists link it to a cosmetic defect of your teeth only and disregard any serious consequences, the picture is likely very different.

The effect of fluoride ingestion (in small amounts) is not immediate but fluoride accumulates in the parts of the body, especially in bones, teeth and pineal gland. When bones are remodeled, fluoride gets into the blood and can basically starts action on all other organs in the body. The basic action of fluoride is to disturb the functioning of cells and enzymes. All systems of the body depend on the functioning of enzymes.

Fluoride inhibits the enzymes by changing their shapes and this can lead to a damage of immune system, digestive system, impaired blood circulation, impaired functioning of thyroid, kidney, liver and brain. Since the distorted enzymes have become foreign protein they may also cause autoimmune diseases, such as arthritis, asthma, or arteriosclerosis. How does this information make you feel?

A non-inclusive list of known effects of fluoride includes:

  • Damaged cells in teeth
  • Increased arthritis
  • Disrupted synthesis of collagen
  • Muscle disorders
  • Cardiological and neurological disorders
  • Adverse effects on the kidney
  • Weakening of bones, leading to an increase in hip and wrist fracture
  • Chromosomal damage and interference with DNA repair (fluoride mutates human cells)
  • Inhibited formation of antibodies; disrupted functioning of the immune system
  • Suppressive effect on the thyroid
  • Dementia
  • Hyperactivity
  • Depression
  • Brain fog, lowered IQ
  • Increased aging
  • Increased lead absorption

See Wikipedia and this link.

In retrospection, I think that I have suffered from fluorosis from the early years. It is not only a cosmetic change of your teeth, but more importantly, a sign of toxic changes that undergo in your body. Also my sluggish thyroid and immunity problems are not surprising in this light.

Exposure to fluoride

Every day fluoride enters our lives in various ways. It goes far beyond the use of toothpaste, especially in the countries which mandate water fluoridation as in many states of the U.S. You can become over-exposed to fluoride by:

  • Drinking fluoridated water (water supply)
  • Drinking beverages made from fluoridated water; e.g. soft drinks, beer or mineral water
  • Consuming canned products and jars based on fluoridated water; e.g. canned meals or soups, or even baby food
  • Eating fruits and vegetables that were sprayed with compounds of fluoride (pesticides)
  • Taking medicines containing fluoride, such as antibiotics, anaesthetics, psychotropics, etc; see this link to inspect how many there are
  • Using teflon cookware
  • Industrial air emissions containing fluoride
  • Using fluoridated dental products
  • and of course by using toothpaste

Since we usually use toothpaste twice or three times daily, it plays a significant role in increasing fluoride levels within the body. Imagine that there is enough fluoride in a regular tube of toothpaste to kill a 10kg (22pound) child.

Do you know that fluoride has been the active toxin in rat poisons and cockroach powder?

What about young children? If you are anything like me when I was a kid, you ate your tasty bubble-gum or strawberry toothpaste on regular basis. While eating the whole tube of toothpaste is not to be expected, swallowing small amounts on daily basis is a likely scenario. So, it is possible that your children have been overexposing themselves to toxic effects of fluoride. Isn’t that worrying at least?

What about tens of years of practice when you swallow fluoride in small amounts? Remember that you are instructed not to flush your mouth after brushing so that the fluoride plays its “protective” role. How pathetic is that!

Moreover, we cannot have too much of the goodness. Majority of dental products from toothpaste to toothpicks and floss contains fluoride. With regular means of oral hygiene, we are ingesting some percentage of fluoride, a substance that is more toxic than lead.

It is not easy to once and for all either approve or disprove the use of fluoride in toothpastes or the practice of water fluoridation. The reason for that is that many publicly available studies are carried out with a dedicated aim to prove one of the points. Moreover, it is an emotional topic.

When you are doing research with the bias to prove the results you want, you tend to bias your results and see what you expect to see. In other words, you are blind to the contrary evidence and make improper comparisons. Nevertheless, there are two facts that are at least worrying to me.

1) Fluoride is a man-made byproduct of heavy industry

Some people believe public becomes ignorant about the role of fluoride because of the mass media conditioning. Fluoride is man-made. It is produced as a waste byproduct of various types of heavy industry and must be disposed of somewhere. And this is a fact.

For instance, fluorosilicic acid is liquid by-product of phosphate fertilizer manufacture but there much more going on. Hence, water fluoridation and fluoridated toothpastes come as a handy and politically correct possibility for the removal of the fluoride byproducts (which would have been a costly practice otherwise, wouldn’t it?). Even if this scenario is only a hypothesis of a mind biased by global conspiracy theories, one issue is apparent.

2) Fluoride is toxic

You can find a lot of information on the subject. Even though we are told that it is not very toxic and that small amounts are safe, why would you willingly subscribe to a daily intake of a toxic substance to your own body?

Fluoride-free

Four years ago I stopped using a fluoride-based toothpaste. It was a truly fantastic change for me. The condition of my teeth improved greatly. There is freshness of my breath that I enjoy. No cavities. No sensitive teeth. No bleeding gums. No problems.

Things have been fine for a few years now, which has never happened in the past. I brush my teeth twice daily and I use a pea-size or less of a fluoride-free toothpaste and my oral hygiene is a joy. For the last two years all my family has also become fluoride-free. (Of course, this refers to toothpaste and water only as we may be exposing ourselves to other sources of fluoride).

There are many fluoride-free toothpastes available on the market that you can buy in health food shops, pharmacies or online. You only need to look for them specifically. Examples include , , , , Druide, Tom’s of Maine or . There are however many more choices available. I spent a few months to find a toothpaste I like. Currently, my two favorite choices are Aloe Dent and Green People.

SLS-free

What I recommend is to use a toothpaste which is also free from SLS, sodium lauryl sulphate. This chemical compound is a foaming agent used to clean garage doors, floors or cars, for instance. BUT … it’s also commonly found in hygiene products such as shampoos, body washes, soaps, and shaving creams. Read your labels.

Sodium lauryl sulphate is a toxin to our skin and often causes irritation. Canker sores or bleeding gums are one of the known side effects of using a SLS toothpaste. In addition, SLS can weaken the enamel.

By the way, if you wonder why SLS is used in hygienic products, the answer is simple. It’s a very cheap foaming agent, hence the costs can be reduced greatly. Since we expect that our hygiene products must produce a foaming effect or otherwise they do not clean well (brain conditioning), we are offered a cheap solution to meet our expectations.

Aloe Dent and Green People are both fluoride-free and SLS-free toothpastes. They are my favorite now, although I have a slight preference towards Aloe Dent.

Test it!

I realize that the arguments against fluoride presented in the materials available on the Web may not sound logical to you. You may see them as exaggerated and produced by maniacs, especially if your teeth are in a reasonably good state. Perhaps you were blessed by nature with strong teeth. It does not matter though.

What does matter is your personal experience, doesn’t it? There is nothing more convincing than that.

  • Are you happy with the freshness of the breath you have? 
  • Are you happy with the condition of your gums? 
  • Do you have clarity in your mind or foggy thoughts? 

If you suffer from bleeding gums, dental cavities or poor health, you may have fluorosis. Give it a thought.

I encourage you to test the approach and switch to a fluoride-free and SLS-free toothpaste for a few months. In addition, cut on soda, beer and sugar (to prevent acid forming from sugar being metabolized by bacteria; tooth decay is caused by acids in your mouth). If possible, drink fluoride-free water. Remove fluoride intake from your life and monitor carefully your well-being in the coming months.

Does it sound good to you? See and feel for yourself. It is a simple experiment. I bet you will join the fluoride-free camp ;).

I wish you a great hunt for a refreshing fluoride-free, SLS-free toothpaste. Feel good indeed.

Resources

I will likely write more on the general aspects of fluoride in the future. The subject is very important.

There are multiple sources and articles which suggest that the belief in fluoride preventing dental caries is ungrounded. Moreover, the usage of fluoride is harmful to your own well-being. You can easily find the information on the Web. Please study the material presented at the Fluoride-Free website or Fluoride Action Network. See also this link or that one.

Please have a look at two blogs dedicated to the danger of fluoride. They report some of the health problems caused by fluoride:

Two important books of interest are: The Fluoride Deception by Christopher Bryson and The Case Against Fluoride by Paul Connett, James Beck and H. Spedding Micklem. They are worth reading.

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