How was it first discovered that flouride was beneficial to oral health?
101977
From the Salon article cited below: "Ironically, science first discovered fluoride's benefits in the early part of this century by stumbling upon what happened when people got too much of it. Researchers noticed that children raised in Colorado Springs, Colo., suffered from severe staining and mottling of their teeth, but were also blessed with a low rate of tooth decay. A check of the water supply revealed that it was naturally fluoridated, according to a history compiled by the National Institutes of Health."
1088190
Not too often, You and I were in mid to late grade school when most communities started fluoridation. With younger people, it's a lot more common. I can remember kids in the neighborhood with brown "Swiss cheese" teeth. They taught my dad how to make dentures for 5 year olds who lost all their teeth to decay. When I was in dental school, they didn't - said it's to rare.\n\nWith your parents, most of them assumed they'd need dentures - it was part of life. No one understood gum disease. Now dentures means something failed.
175601
The sodium itself is not designed to act on the teeth, not in large amounts anyway. It is a convenient way to carry fluoride, in things like toothpaste, to a tooth surface. In the area of the tooth, especially if decay is dissolving the surface, the fluoride is exchanged for other ions and deposited into the tooth. This strengthens the tooth structure and makes it more resistant to dissolution by acid created by decay-causing bacteria.
621609
Arm N' Hammer..it has baking soda, proven natural ingredient it really helps to writen teeth...costs alot less than going to the dentist, right? good luck
368245
As acknowledged by the Physicians' Desk Reference, some individuals are hypersensitive to fluoride. \n\nHypersensitive reactions to fluoride have been reported for both topical fluorides & ingested fluorides. The largest, government-funded, clinical trial found that 1% of people ingesting 1 mg fluoride tablets exhibited allergic/hypersensitive reactions to fluoride. \n\nSymptoms of allergic/hypersensitive reactions have been reported to include: skin rashes (e.g. dermatitis, urticaria, eczema); mouth lesions (canker sores); gastric distress; headache; joint pain; weakness; visual disturbances; and lethargy.
328576
I disagree with the above answers.  I looked at the above-mentioned link and I still feel that the advantages of fluoride outweigh the risks.  The sources I added provide information on fluoridation of public water systems - the risks and the benefits.  The American Dental Associaton has long supported water fluoridation, along with the U.S. Public Health Service, American Medical Association, American Public Health Association, World Health Organization, National Cancer Institute, National Academy of Sciences, and other domestic and foreign health organizations.  All legal challenges opposing water fluoridation have been struck down by the highest court hearing the case.  \n\nThere is a higher concentration of fluoride in toothpaste than there is in public water.  That is why the ADA statement on each tube of fluoridated toothpaste says not to swallow and to only use a pea-sized amount.  Children should be supervised when brushing because they are more likely to swallow it.  Fluoride rinses and gels should also not be swallowed.  Children who ingest fluoride over long periods of time are likely to develop dental fluorosis in teeth that have not fully formed.  That is why there are toothpastes made for children that do not contain fluoride.  The optimal level of fluoride in water is between 0.7 and 1.2 parts per million.  This amount of fluoride is sufficient enough to prevent decay while minimizing the occurence of dental fluorosis.\n\nThe above link mentions studies that proved that fluoridated water does not prevent dental caries, but I don't agree with that either.  A study by the National Institute of Dental Research in 1986-1987 found that five-year-old children who lived all their lives in optimally fluoridated communities had 39 percent less caries and fillings compared with those who lived in communites where the water was fluoride-deficient.  Eight studies in the U.K. showed reductions in caries of 40-60 percent with fluoridated water.  Irish children were also studied with the same results.  I see the benefits of fluoridated water everyday.
231055
Once detected, continued care of the mouth at home can help prevent extensive periodontal disease and reduce gum problems.\nOral hygene to prevent gum disease is the same as treatment to prevent tooth decay. Ideally, the mouth needs to be cleaned after every meal. More realistically, a thorough cleansing before going to bed may minimize the chances of gum disease. Dentists suggest brushing teeth with a soft bristled brush. Gentle movements within the crevices disloge decay-causing material, while firm strokes over the teeth remove plaque.\nFlossing is recommended to clear plaque from between teeth.\nAfter brushing and flossing, vigorously rinsing the mouth with mouthwash (listerine) it contains containing antimicrobials (substances that kill bacteria) can also help eliminate bacteria formation;  but mouthwash alone cannot prevent plaque.\nFor self-checking, a dental mirror provides a view of the teeth and gums in the back of the mouth. Disclosing wafers, which when chewed discolor plaque, reveal any invisible film to be removed.\nFor advanced cases, a dentist may scrap the affected tissue pockets and apply antiseptics (germ-killers) every few months in an effort to kill the bacteria.\nShould this procedure fail to check the spread of the disease, surgery by a periodontist (gum specialist) may be needed to remove deep pockets in the gum.\nOnce the bacteria are eliminated, good oral hygene practices should control the disease.
622740
goood genetics....lol.......use toothpaste,not the multicolored one's...the white flouride one's
488396
i think its just the toothpaste. i've never read the label to see if it has less flouride or not but why dont you read it...if it has less flouride you should probably use the other one. if its the same go ahead and use anyone you want. it doesnt even matter just as long as you brush your teeth its all good!
618199
The reason is because we don't have fluoride in our water. When fluoride is taken up into the tooth when it is forming when we are young the teeth come through much more resilient to decay. It's a well proven fact that injesting fluoride when teeth are forming significantly reduces tooth decay. Most other countries eg America have fluoride in the water.
450418
Not usually.  Many public water sources come naturally floridated.  Other public utilities add floride to water meant for internal consumption.  \n\nIt really takes quite a bit of floride to cause health problems.  As you may have heard, the FDA has found that some communities have been adding too much floride.  That's being addressed right now.\n\nFloride strengthens human teeth, and it is best consumed in early childhood.  Dental enamel undergoes dynamic change throughout life, though it slows remarkably as we age.  So while it's pretty helpful to get a proper amount of the substance when we're younger, the need becomes much less acute the older we become.\n\nThere are, despite opponents' criticisms, plenty of long-term studies that support active floridation, and none that support banning the substance.  I'm in my sixties, and my dentists still tell me my teeth are in extremely good shape.  I was born and reared in an area (Oklahoma) where floride is a natural component of drinking water.  Yo, I hate going to the dentist, so I'm very glad floride has made it possible to have to do so infrequently.
543574
Baking soda won't really have an effect on whitening your teeth or removing tartar. Baking soda is effective at neutralizing acid in your mouth, which will lower your chances of decay. Bacteria in your mouth produce acid whenever you eat, especially when it's a fermentable sugar. Acid produced by bacteria is what demineralizes your teeth and allows cavities to form. So if you brush or rinse with baking soda immediately after eating, it may help in your overall oral hygiene. People who have low saliva flow are especially recommended to rinse with baking soda because saliva acts as our natural acid buffering agent.\n\nTartar is formed when plaque has been sitting on your teeth for some time and calcium in your saliva mineralizes it into a hard mass. You tend to find most tartar on your lower front teeth and upper molars because this is where saliva enters your mouth from the salivary glands. Tartar can only be removed by scaling because of the way it is adsorbed onto your teeth. Tartar control toothpastes are only effective in reducing the amount of tartar on your teeth after a cleaning has been removed by a dentist or hygienist. The active ingredient is sodium pyrophosphate, which acts as a buffer to remove calcium from your saliva so it doesn't have a chance to form tartar. \n\nBrushing with baking soda before or after you use toothpaste shouldn't hurt, but the results you are looking for will likely be marginal at best. Using proper brushing technique along with flossing are your best bets at maintaining a healthy mouth.
417232
according to my dentist, who loves to discuss this while doing a prophylaxis on me, their role as dentists is now shifting from cure to prevention. moreover, with the introduction of flourinated water, there is a gradual shift from cure and maintenance to "repair" (such as braces). also, their role in "medicine" and "oral health" is increasingly being recognized espcially now with the emergence of "oral surgeons" in recent years.\n-it is far from a 2000-word essay, but i hope it eased the burden
1099820
Sugar may be a corrosive for your teeth, but it's not 'bad' for you.\n\nIt gives calories, without affording any corresponding other nutrients found in other (natural) sugar based products.
758468
I believe Toms has no flouride.\nBut please check the label.\nAsk at your local Heath Food Store they can tell you right away.\nAnd yes, flouride is toxic if you swollow too much over the course of a long time. But it is not natural and is not really needed if you have good dental hygeine.
1047324
The problem with Enamelon was totally financial.  They spent too much money trying to complete the research needed to obtain approval, could not recoup their expenses, and went belly up.  \n\nThe good news is you can find a toothpaste with the same ingredients (calcium phosphate) and principal of not mixing them too early so they don't precipitate.  It's called Mentadent Replenishing White.  I'm not talking about the orginal Mentadent with peroxide, but the one that says "Liquid Calcium"  I got mine at CVS.\n\nArm & Hammer also has a toothpaste called EnamelCare with calcium phosphate, but it is already mixed (not in a pump) therefore I believe less effective.\n\nNeither of these toothpastes have done the clinical studies to prove their efficacy, probably because of expense.
250575
If it's just slight decay or a weak spot on the tooth then it's possible for fluoride treatments to reverse the decay.