A few weeks ago, I invited holistic nutritionist, wellness expert, and school food activist Dr. Susan Rubin to guest blog for The Wellness Bitch. At that time, I thought we’d end up with a Better School Food-inspired rant from one of the original Two Angry Moms. I was excited! But who knew that Dr. SuRu’s expertise extended to dentistry? After an engaging conversation with other health-conscious folks on Facebook, we knew that inquiring minds wanted to know…What’s the deal with fluoride?
By By Susan Rubin:
Deep inside, I’m still a dentist. At the turn of the century, I laid my drill down to embark upon a new career in holistic nutrition and school food advocacy. Before that, I drilled, filled and billed in private practice for over 13 years.
During the four long years of dental school, one point was hammered into our skulls: Hal Huggins was a quack! Hal was a Colorado dentist who was anti-fluoride, anti-amalgam and concerned about root canals. When you’re in dental school, much like medical school, you study hard, sleep little and spit out the right answers on the board exams. I’m taking the time to explain this so that you understand why your dentist isn’t up on the latest information about fluoride. Your dentist did well on those board exams and doesn’t often question what he or she has been taught. The same thing happens in medical school with vaccine questions. Medical and dental schools are highly competitive, high stress environments, you don’t ask questions.
Here’s the theory on how systemic fluoride supposedly works. During the ages of 1-7 when the adult teeth are being formed, a higher level of fluoridated water will build teeth that are more resistant to decay. There is no benefit in drinking fluoridated water before 1 year and beyond 7 years. So, we are fluoridating an entire population for the alleged benefit of those who are ages 1-7. Not very ethical, huh?
The American Dental Association, a big pro-fluoride lobby group, acknowledges that fluoridated water is not recommended for babies ages 0-12 months.
Here’s the real deal on fluoride that your dentist has never questioned.
Fluoridated water has never been proven to actually decrease tooth decay.
Fluoridated water was never approved by the FDA. It was grandfathered in, it was never safety tested for ingestion in human or animal studies.
Fluoride is hazardous to your health. It is a cumulative poison that accumulates in bone over the years. The list of health issues connected to fluoride ingestion is long, visit the Fluoride Action Network to see what I’m talking about.
Next step: its time for YOU to do some homework.
Read a book:
The Fluoride Deception by Christopher Bryson
The Case Against Fluoride: How Hazardous Waste Ended Up in Our Drinking Water and the Bad Science and Powerful Politics That Keep It There by Paul Connett
Choose one of these books, read it, fully understand the history and current issues with fluoride. When you’re done, wrap the book up nicely and give it to your dentist with a great big smile.
Remember, he or she went through four years of Hell and hard work to get that dental degree. Now that there are no more board tests to take, he or she can now start to re-think what was taught.
And remember: books, parachutes and minds function best when open.
Dr. Susan Rubinis an eco-gastronomically focused health professional and school food advocate who graduated New Jersey Dental School in 1987.
Print 
PDF