5 Reasons To Choose Fluoride-Free Toothpastes

If you've been using a lot of products with fluoride in them, then you could be doing more harm to your teeth than you realize. Fluoride is regularly used in dental products like toothpaste and mouthwash. It's often even in city water. Yet this abundance of fluoride isn't always a good thing. Here are a few dangers of overexposure to fluoride and why it may be a better idea to choose fluoride-free toothpaste.

1. Overexposure Can Lead to Dental Fluorosis

Have you ever looked at your teeth and noticed white specks or streaks on them? This could be a sign of dental fluorosis. It occurs most often in childhood. As a child, if you're overexposed to fluoride, you may develop dental fluorosis.

While it doesn't have any effect on your health, the white streaks can become noticeable, especially when you age. For some people, the sight of them may be jarring. They may want to seek whitening measures to have the rest of their teeth match. Yet this isn't always possible.

One possible way to help reduce the chances of a child developing mild dental fluorosis is by breastfeeding them, feeding them formula, or ensuring that they're drinking fluoride-free water. Once they start brushing their teeth, you can introduce fluoride-free toothpaste to further lower the risk of overexposure.

2. You May Develop Skeletal Fluorosis

A more serious problem that may develop is skeletal fluorosis. This is a situation when the excessive presence of fluoride starts to harden the bones. As more bone material is created, it stiffens and reduces elasticity. As a result, it's far easier to fracture your bones.<

You'll likely experience problems with moving because the bones are thick. As you become older, this problem is even worse. The chances of falling and breaking a bone become greater.

3. You May Experience Thyroid Problems

Your thyroid is a more important part of your body than you may realize. It helps control your metabolism and other facets of your biology. Excessive fluoride can start to impede with your thyroid. In particular, it may damage the parathyroid gland. When that occurs, then you may develop hyperparathyroidism.

This condition causes the calcium in your bones to start to disappear. Instead, the calcium accumulates in your blood. When you don't have calcium in your bones, they become less stable and protected.

Compound this with skeletal fluorosis and you could be looking at serious skeletal problems for the rest of your life.

4. It May Decrease Child Cognitive Development

One study looked at how exposure to fluoride impacted cognitive growth in young children. During that study, it was determined that those who had been given a large dose of fluoride over a period of time had a lower IQ than those who did not receive large quantities of fluoride.

In fact, fluoride has been considered a neurotoxin to some degree that can impact a child's ability to have a normal development process. It made the list with other neurotoxins like lead, mercury, and arsenic.

5. Increase Acne

One final problem that fluoride may present is acne. Those who tend to ingest a lot of fluoride also have a higher rate of acne. If you want to clear up your skin, then changing how much fluoride you're taking in may help.

Make the Switch to Fluoride-Free Toothpaste

With fluoride in everything, including your water, it may be easier than you realize to overexpose yourself and your children to it. One area you can control is your toothpaste. Start using fluoride-free toothpaste today to ensure you're receiving a controlled amount and reduce possible health problems.