Our philosophy on flourides
Too much of anything creates problems. Too much water causes hyponatremia, which starts as seizures and gets worse. Even the best things in life need temperance and balance.
Fluoride prevents cavities. Normal over-the-counter fluoride toothpaste prevents 22% of cavities. Prescription strength fluoride toothpaste prevents 37% of cavities.
There is growing evidence that chronic exposure to high fluoride levels during pregnancy or early childhood may have small but measurable effects on cognitive development. Most of the studies that have shown differences are in areas that naturally have high fluoride levels in the groundwater, higher than water fluoridated for cavity prevention. And yet, there is concern that fluoride toothpaste gets swallowed so much in young children, that it could mimic this effect, or that artificially fluoridated water could have a small effect.
Fluoride varnish applied a couple times per year prevents 40% of cavities. Silver fluoride applied once per year prevents 60% of cavities. Silver fluoride twice per year stops 80% of big cavities!
Too much of anything creates problems. Too much water causes hyponatremia, which starts as seizures and gets worse. Even the best things in life need temperance and balance.
Fluoride prevents cavities. Normal over-the-counter fluoride toothpaste prevents 22% of cavities. Prescription strength fluoride toothpaste prevents 37% of cavities.
There is growing evidence that chronic exposure to high fluoride levels during pregnancy or early childhood may have small but measurable effects on cognitive development. Most of the studies that have shown differences are in areas that naturally have high fluoride levels in the groundwater, higher than water fluoridated for cavity prevention. And yet, there is concern that fluoride toothpaste gets swallowed so much in young children, that it could mimic this effect, or that artificially fluoridated water could have a small effect.
Fluoride varnish applied a couple times per year prevents 40% of cavities. Silver fluoride applied once per year prevents 60% of cavities. Silver fluoride twice per year stops 80% of big cavities!
We ourselves did some of the key safety studies of fluoride varnish and silver fluoride in very young children. While these studies were important for advancing policy around the world, they were somewhat performative because the doses are so tiny. The safety is obvious. The doses are infinitesimally smaller than from toothpaste or tap water, because they are only applied a couple times per year, instead of a couple times per day.
So, our philosophy is to maximize effectiveness while minimizing the exposure to fluoride - or any drug.
We accomplish this by applying tiny amounts of high concentration medicines directly to the problematic areas of the teeth and gums. The medicines absorb into the tooth, where they react to restore health, and there is hardly any left to spread into the body.
One droplet of silver fluoride has as much fluoride as a couple liters of fluoridated tap water, or a gallon of naturally low fluoride well water. We consolidate this into the tooth and remove excess. The blood levels of fluoride never go up.
We believe the risks from medicines applied directly to affected or high risk areas are far less than the risks of far larger doses of plastics, vasoconstrictors, and local anesthetics ubiquitously injected into the body by traditional dentistry.
The most effective approach to fight decay is to completely remove all sugars and overprocessed carbohydrates from the diet. But this is often impractical. Fluoride is a core part of the most efficient solutions to decay. We minimize your exposure by direct application and protect you from systemic exposure.
We are here for you. We will always work hard to provide balance to optimize your oral and overall health.
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