Question for toothsmith -How much fluoride do we need?

noonesperfect

The amount of toothpaste seems to swing somewhere between 1000ppm and about 1700ppm of fluoride.

Do we need fluoride in our toothpaste and if so, what is the minimum we can get away with?

Nearly all contain SLS which I prefer to avoid. My dentist says my gums are absolutely excellent (using current SLS free toothpaste) but my teeth could probably do with a little help. Prevention rather than cure.

froggy_girl128

Depends who you ask - some would say none at all.

Toothsmith

noonesperfect wrote: »

The amount of toothpaste seems to swing somewhere between 1000ppm and about 1700ppm of fluoride.

Do we need fluoride in our toothpaste and if so, what is the minimum we can get away with?

Nearly all contain SLS which I prefer to avoid. My dentist says my gums are absolutely excellent (using current SLS free toothpaste) but my teeth could probably do with a little help. Prevention rather than cure.

1450ppm is pretty optimal.

Anything in the range you give will be beneficial.

Sensodyne Pronamel toothpaste is SLS free and has a good amount in it.

Toothsmith

froggy_girl128 wrote: »

Depends who you ask - some would say none at all.

Some indeed would. But not anyone who understood about dental care.

noonesperfect

The toothpaste I prefer to use has 1000ppm of fluoride.

If I use that in the morning and use another such as signal or colgate total at bedtime (perhaps just spitting rather than rinsing) might that be beneficial enough? I'm not keen on sensodyne at all.



My late Mother used Philips toothpaste til they stopped making it (she still had all her own teeth when she died aged 84). Shame you can't still buy it.

anguk

Sorry to hijack the thread but I've got a question too. I live in an area that has fluoride added to the water, is it still important that I use a toothpaste with fluoride in it? I prefer to use a natural toothpaste but most of them don't contain fluoride, will I be getting enough fluoride from water or is it best to have it in the toothpaste?

sallyrsm

I live in Lincolnshire that flouridates its water. However I grew up in Germany that doesn't and every morning crunched up a flouride tablet before brushing my teeth. I now have good teeth, despite a period of 15 years when I lived in London where I didn't (hangs head in shame) visit a dentist. My first visit last year, despite those 15 years, I didn't need any work done!! My son is three and does not use flouride toothpaste as our water has it in.... I have long thought that the reason I have such good teeth is I've never ever smoked.. it seems to me the smokers that have the problems. I could be wrong. I am sometimes.

Toothsmith

Which bit of Lincolnshire are you in?

I wasn't aware that any of Lincolnshire fluoridated water.

If you were brought up in a fluoridated area, and still live in one, toothpaste with fluoride in isn't as important - altough it won't do you any harm unless you regularly swallow bucketloads of it.

Very young kids in fluoridated areas should use a lower fluoride toothpaste, or just the smalest smear of regular toothpaste, as they are not as good at spitting out. They'd still need to swallow a fair old bit to be harmed though - and by 'harmed' I mean they might develop teeth whith white flecks in them (Strong - but white marks). Severe fluoride overdose would lead to brown marks and poorly formed teeth - but you really would have to try very hard to force that much toothpaste down a child!

Paparika

I was under the assumption that all of the UK still had lots of things added to our tap water including fluoride!

big_gay_kirk

The big problem with fluoride is that in excess it leads to brittle teeth and bones.... and most of the fluoride added to water apparently comes from toxic industrial waste that would be illegal to flush into rivers.... and if I remember correctly from the old school days, no one really knows whether or not fluoride assists in preventing tooth decay, as we're still unsure what causes it........ but I may be wrong....

Toothsmith

big_gay_kirk wrote: »

The big problem with fluoride is that in excess it leads to brittle teeth and bones.... and most of the fluoride added to water apparently comes from toxic industrial waste that would be illegal to flush into rivers.... and if I remember correctly from the old school days, no one really knows whether or not fluoride assists in preventing tooth decay, as we're still unsure what causes it........ but I may be wrong....

Yes - you are. But that's the sort of thing you find on plenty of websites opposing fluoride in the water.

Paprika - Fluoride is not added to very much of the UK's water at all.

Birmingham is fluoridated, and Gateshead & parts of Newcastle. There are a few isolated areas of the country with naturally high fluoride levels which have to be diluted down to the 1ppm optimum (dentally speaking) level. I think a few small parts of Lincolnshire, and some parts of Essex fall into this category.