What is Flouride?
Many people believe adding fluoride to water is dangerous and damaging. Although fluoride is proven to help strengthen teeth and prevent decay, those who oppose fluoride in water believe it may lead to serious health issues including cancer, hypothyroidism, and dental diseases. Also, it is not possible to regulate the amount of fluoride in each bottle. Therefore, you can never be sure how much fluoride you are taking in , and an overconsumption could occur. Overconsumption of fluoride is very dangerous and it may lead to serious health problems.
I am in favor of adding fluoride to drinking water because I feel it is very important in having good oral health. Our teeth are extremely important to our body, and with bad teeth, our whole life could be in jepardy. Adding fluorine in water would help prevent tooth decay and improve overall oral health. Therefore, we can live a long, healthy live. Although people believe fluoride in water can lead to serious health issues, this percentage of people is very minute. In fact, it has been proven that the number of cavities has decreased dramatically ever since fluoride has been added to water and toothpaste.
In order for fluoride to have been added in toothpastes and mouthwashes, scientists first had to find a fluoride compatible abrasive. Procter and Gamble was the first company to find an abrasive that worked well with fluoride. Their solution was stannous fluoride. This abrasive helped Crest dominate the fluoride toothpaste industry for quite a while. About ten years later, a new abrasive broke through: monofluorophosphate (MFP). Finally, in 1982, sodium fluoride made its debut in the fluoride dental care business. Today, sodium fluoride is probably the main dentifrice fluoride on the market. Stannous fluoride and MFP are still in use, but the abrasives are mostly chosen by their compatibility with the other ingredients in the toothpaste or mouthwash.
The side effect of using fluoride in water that most concerns me is the chance of leading to cancer. In my life, I have known many people who have battled cancer, and I know the pain is unbearable. The link from fluoride in water to cancer worries me, but I believe with technological advances and more studies, we could find out more about the relationship between the two. I still believe there should be fluoride in our water for dental reasons, but the topic of cancer mixes up my whole perspective on the topic.
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