Our dental office is fluoride-free. We do not provide any fluoride treatments, nor do we sell any fluoridated products because we firmly believe fluoride isn’t necessary and its use is counter-intuitive for good dental health.
Instead, we only use natural solutions and products designed to work harmoniously with your oral and general health.
Fluoride Isn’t a Miracle Cure for Cavities
Many people were brought up to regard fluoride as being some a miracle cure for tooth decay and have been indoctrinated into using fluoridated dental products. In lots of areas, fluoride is routinely added to drinking water supplies, and its use has been attributed to a reduction in tooth decay.
But it turns out that these claims don’t add up, not least because tooth decay rates have declined in areas where fluoride isn’t used. In fact, figures from the WHO show that rates of tooth decay in the United States (where two-thirds of public water supplies are fluoridated) are higher than in countries that don’t fluoridate their water including Sweden, the Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark. Many European countries have rejected the practice of routinely fluoridating water because there is a lack of evidence that it reduces cavities and because of concerns about fluoride toxicity.
Concerns about Fluoride Toxicity
Parents of very young children are often advised to use non-fluoridated toothpaste up until age 2 or when the child develops the ability to spit out the excess paste. The reason for these recommendations is because when too much fluoride is ingested, it is toxic. Excess fluoride ingestion is linked to dental fluorosis, a condition that causes tooth enamel to become discoloured and which when present can indicate that the rest of your body has been overexposed to fluoride as well. In children, excess exposure to fluoride can be linked to low thyroid function, learning and behavioral difficulties and bone fragility.
We Prefer to Look for the Cause of Tooth Decay
Cavities aren’t caused by a lack of fluoride but instead can develop due to a combination of different factors. Tooth decay can occur in teeth due to a bacterial buildup, causing infection and which can be influenced by diet and lifestyle choices, your attention to dental hygiene, and it may even be due to hereditary factors.
Tooth decay isn’t improved by applications of fluoride, but rather by maintaining proper dental hygiene combined with a good diet. One primary cause of cavities is excess sugar consumption and eating too many processed foods in general. Certain medications can promote tooth decay by inhibiting saliva, causing a condition called dry mouth. Being deficient in specific minerals such as magnesium can weaken teeth and bones.
Here at Bel Canto Dental, our approach is to try to identify the reason for poor dental health, so we can devise a suitable treatment plan to help reduce your risk, without using fluoride or any toxic substances.
Bel Canto Dental can also recommend suitable fluoride-free products for use at home. By using high-quality natural products, we can take a more holistic approach to your dental care, helping to protect your oral health and especially your oral microbiome, the delicately balanced ecosystem in your mouth, which in turn helps to protect your digestive system.
The products we recommend are formulated using environmentally-friendly ingredients that help to protect and strengthen your tooth enamel naturally. They are free from artificial colours and antibacterial ingredients. Often, they are made from natural plant-based ingredients designed to reduce harmful bacteria and to freshen breath naturally.
If you are concerned about fluoride, contact Bel Canto Dental to discover a more natural approach to maintaining strong, healthy and cavity-free teeth.
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