Flouride for babies what do you think?

[Tinijocaro]

Is it similar to the label that tells me that, according to the State of California, my Christmas Lights may give me cancer?

Actually, it says if more than used for brushing is ingested, get medical help immediately or contact a Poison control center. A bit more urgent than your attempt to compare it to a Christmas light warning.

 

[Hannathy]

Important Junk Science lesson here folks, whenever you read someone talking generically about "toxins" or declares something as being inherently "toxic", that should be a big red flag for the advice that follows. The first rule of toxicology is "The dose makes the poison." Everything, including distilled water, is "toxic" to human beings at some level. Yes, fluoride certainly also CAN be toxic above certain concentrations in people. But it is a naturally occurring mineral that is often found in ground water. Toxicity also often isn't linear, meaning that substances normally aren't harmful to some degree at all levels (unless you're talking about Plutonium). In fact, as has been shown with fluoride, at lower doses "toxins" can have a net positive benefit. The dreaded arsenic is another example. It has a lot of medicinal benefits at very low doses. Arsenic compounds are still used to treat psoriasis and leukemia and in the past was effective in treating STDs.

You will learn not to try to argue on the DIS with facts..................

( I agree with you 100% ) We always said it's not the poison it's the dose!
Some people like to say scientific principals don't apply if it goes against what they feel.

 

[Geoff_M]

Actually, it says if more than used for brushing is ingested, get medical help immediately or contact a Poison control center. A bit more urgent than your attempt to compare it to a Christmas light warning.

While I think we can all agree that it's not a good idea to let our kids eat toothpaste, or other personal hygiene products, here's what the ADA said about the danger of fluoridated toothpaste when the FDA required the warning you cited back in 1997:

The ADA has taken the position that the FDA warning overstates "any demonstrated or potential danger posed by fluoride toothpastes." The Association cites a long list of actions demonstrating that the ADA has been proactive in this area for decades.

...

The Association has always monitored any adverse reactions to fluoride toothpastes through surveys of incident reports in emergency rooms and through contacts with regional and national poison centers.

The results of this surveillance leave no room for disagreement: incidents involving fluoride toothpastes do not lead to major adverse outcomes. It appears that other toothpaste ingredients-the humectants and surfactants they contain will induce vomiting long before any toxic effects of fluoride can take place.

This unnecessary labeling requirement is part of a larger FDA initiative to address potential hazards connected with over-the-counter drug products. It is not an isolated action aimed solely at fluoride-containing toothpastes. In fact, if it had not been for the persuasive arguments developed by a coalition of dental manufacturers and the ADA, the required warning probably would have been much stronger.

The FDA action qualifies as just another bureaucratic happening. Their rulings make no allowance for products to be treated differently, even when they do not pose similar risks.

Unfortunately, this new warning label probably will result in an untoward number of costly and worrisome visits to emergency rooms by parents unable to discern how much toothpaste their child actually ingested.

 

[bettymae1121]

All I know is that my two brother and I grew up on fluorinated water and had yearly fluoride treatments as kids, and occasional were told to use additional daily fluoride by our dentist (who after 30 years I still see). My brothers and I had very few cavities as both kids and as adults, and all of us are in perfect health. I'm 34 and my brothers are 38 and 40, so we've been exposed to it for decades now.

My mother, who did not grow up with fluorinated water, had trouble with her teeth all of her life and died of brain cancer at age 62. Her younger sister now suffers from MS.

My father, who also didn't grow up with fluorinated water, has had little trouble with his teeth and other than Parkinson's (which is well controlled with medication) is healthy at age 72.

I don't think lack of fluoride cause my dad, mom or aunt any problems other than dental, of course. My point is that sometimes people suffer from disease just because diseases just happen.

Fluoride may cause problems in some people the same way some people are allergic to peanuts. If fluoride treatments made you ill as a kid, then obviously fluoride might be something you truely do need to avoid. For most people it's fine.

 

[phamton]

I grew up in West Texas where fluoride occurs naturally in high amounts in the water. In fact, I lived near the area that was called the town without a tooth ache by the ADA. We had so much fluoride in the water that many of us had brown tooth stain (mottled enamel.) Other than having the brown bleached out of my teeth, my teeth have always been great. I am 59 years old and have only had 2 small cavities. I got them when I was pregnant with my twins and had been living in an area of the country with no fluoride for 10 years at that time. There were no more incidences of diseases due to heart problems or cancer in that area than in any other part of the country that did not have fluoride and we had way more than the recommended dosage of fluoride. Don't fall for the scare tactics. Tooth decay can be a major health problem and I would definitely use fluoride if it doesn't occur naturally in your water. When I did live in an area without fluoride, I took fluoride tablets during my last trimester of pregnancy to give my babies fluoride for the primary teeth development. And after they were born, I continued with fluoride drops for them. My oldest daughter is 36 years old and has never had a cavity. My others have had some cavities but less than most people their age.

 

[Wishing on a star]

Have you ever read the warning label on a tube of fluoridated toothpaste?

Exactly.....


And as far as 'the dose makes the poison... That also is EXACTLY what we are talking about here, additive doses and cumulative exposure.
So, you have only reiterated my views.

 

[pansmermaidzlagoon]

I don't agree with ingesting fluoride, but don't have as much of a problem with topical application as needed.

I think OP's child is too young. We bought non-fluoride toothpaste for DD for years (well beyond the risk of swallowing it)..she has had dental care from an early age and has no cavities.

I think trips to the dentist and being taught correct dental hygiene are far more important than fluoride in the water, etc.