Ask TH: What’s your take on flouride?

Flouride is not my first choice.

The way flouride works is that in its ionized form it is highly attracted to phosphate ions in your teeth. Flouride is a smaller ion than calcium, so it goes in your tooth and is tightly packed, meaning it’s harder to unravel the enamel with acids.

Topical flouride, as in toothpaste, is fine in severe cases because it’s usually the last measure to cover rampant decay or hypocalcification (areas where tooth is weak due to lack of calcium). Systemic, as in pill form, definitely not. It has to go through your stomach and blood to get to your teeth. This means flouride as access to bones, nerve and other tissues where we don’t want it to go.

Definitely don’t recommend flouride for kids. They tend to swallow toothpaste and, if it contains flouride, can brittle their little bones.

There are flouride alternatives like calcium phosphate, calcium carbonate. Try MI Paste or Meswak, which have bioavailable calcium to help remineralize tooth structure.

(thanks to @Green_Luvin for the great question! photo by yomi955)

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