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teachingmyown
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| Posted: Feb 12 2009 at 3:23pm | IP Logged
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Can we talk about fluoride? We just went to the dentist and my kids have cavities again! Part of this is definitely from less than stellar brushing/flossing habits. The dentist believes that it is also the result of our being on well water and not getting enough fluoride.
I have to admit to being pretty ignorant about fluoride. I have only half-listened to the arguments for and against. My knee-jerk reaction is that the dentist is just promoting the "party line" of health professionals, similar to the push for vaccinations. But, in all fairness, I haven't researched enough.
What I do know is that my kids teeth aren't doing well and I need to make sure I am doing all that is possible and safe to improve them.
So, enlighten me!
(yes, I am too lazy, or scatterbrained, to do the research myself!  )
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Molly
wife to Court & mom to ds '91, dd '96, ds '97, dds '99, '01, '03, '06, and dss '07 and 01/20/11
Remembering Today
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KC in TX
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| Posted: Feb 12 2009 at 3:42pm | IP Logged
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I would make sure your kids have flroride. It really does help prevent tooth decay. I think the cons were more because the fluoride added to water could be too much. This way at least you can control the amounts your kids get.
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aussieannie
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Molly we have now started brushing our children's teeth with Terrmain Clay in earnest. Actually I'm going to be blogging about it soon.
We know of people who have had outstanding results with it and the information on the clay mentions that gum disease is something that can be reversed completely with it:
"Gum Disease - Terramin clay can be used effectively for gum tissue repair, gingivitis, and pyorrhea. The clay possesses antibacterial properties to prevent decay. Brushing our teeth with Terramin clay allows the clay to bind to unfriendly bacteria around the gumline. My dentist told me about the pockets in my gumline, which were 4's and 5's. The next visit 7 or 8 months later, those pockets no longer existed. The only thing I had changed was brushing my gumline several times a week with Terramin.
Be sure to only use pure calcium montmorillonite clay for this application, since most clays are sodium based and not meant to be taken internally.
Ran Knishnisky wrote in The Clay Cure “the clay is absorbent, so it will not be abrasive, and it helps harden teeth enamel while it aids in gum tissue repair. Furthermore, if used regularly, it helps to prevent gum recession.”
The clay has many minerals in a perfect balance, including fluoride, the mix of naturally occuring minerals ensures that our body will actually absorb and assimulate it.
Terramin Clay is very cheap, we just don't have toothpaste in the house now, only the terramin clay. Regular teeth brushing is important, we do it twice a day and I brush the teeth of the children 6 years and under myself.
We don't believe in fluoride in the water (our city has just introduced it for the first time and so we have bought a reverse osmosis system to get it out and I then add the water to a ceramic pot and add teramin clay to the water to make sure it is mineralized.
I wouldn't give fluoride tablets because giving one mineral doesn't really give the assurance it has been absorbed by the body and you can end up with an excess of it, IMO.
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CrunchyMom
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It is my understanding that there are studies showing fluoride to be beneficial in preventing cavities if used topically but nothing proving that fluoride added to water for drinking prevents decay. In fact, there are questions about whether it is healthy to drink fluoride in the quantities it is added to water.
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Lindsay
Five Boys(6/04) (6/06) (9/08)(3/11),(7/13), and 1 girl (5/16)
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mom2mpr
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CrunchyMom wrote:
| It is my understanding that there are studies showing fluoride to be beneficial in preventing cavities if used topically but nothing proving that fluoride added to water for drinking prevents decay. In fact, there are questions about whether it is healthy to drink fluoride in the quantities it is added to water. |
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This is what I have heard too.
We also have a well. I toss the oral flouride at my kids once or twice a week. Appeases the dentist. My family physician says,"did you know flouride is a poison?" We use the flouride rinses every night. Dd has had cavities since very young. Ds never one. I believe in the theory that cavities are caused by a bacteria. I nursed both my kids for a long time and also for sleep at night. Mothering magazine has some good articles you might be able to access online.
I need to try to find that clay. I have awful gum disease and would love to cure it. Thanks for that info. I am game for anything but surgery. 
Anne
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Jen L.
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Drinking fluoride is not healthy. It may be helpful on teeth (topically, as others have said) but not internally.
A friend of mine was in and out of the hospital a couple of years ago with heart troubles that they couldn't diagnose. She finally, using the internet, decided that it must be the fluoride messing with her thyroid. She took herself off fluoride and didn't even need her long-term thyroid medicine anymore! (Fluoride was used as a thyroid treatment until fairly recently and may still be in other countries.) I know Fairfax County water has way too much of it.
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Jen L.
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Jan 2008 Reuters:
Editors for Scientific American believe recent studies suggest that fluoride raises the risks of disorders affecting teeth, bones, the brain and the thyroid gland, and in general “scientific attitudes” about fluoridation may be shifting.
"Fluoride, the most consumed drug in the USA, is deliberately added to 2/3 of public water supplies theoretically to reduce tooth decay, but with no scientifically-valid evidence proving safety or effectiveness," says lawyer Paul Beeber, president of the New York State Coalition Opposed to Fluoridation.
Meanwhile, according to environmental reporter and director of New York University‘s Science, Health and Environmental Reporting Program Dan Fagin, "There is no universally accepted optimal level for daily intake of fluoride."
After analyzing hundreds of fluoride studies, researchers found that fluoride:
* Alters endocrine function, especially in the thyroid
* Causes dental fluorosis in young children
* May lower IQ
* May increase the risk of bone fractures
Because scientific evidence suggests that water fluoridation is ineffective and dangerous to health, over 1,200 professional are now urging Congress to stop water fluoridation.
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Jen
dh Klete,ds (8/95),dd (12/97), dd (11/00), and ^2^ in heaven
"...the best state in which to glorify God is our actual state; the best grace is that of the moment..." St. Peter Eymard
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Jen L.
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| Posted: Feb 12 2009 at 5:38pm | IP Logged
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A good article from Weston Price:
Fluoride: Worse than we Thought
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Jen
dh Klete,ds (8/95),dd (12/97), dd (11/00), and ^2^ in heaven
"...the best state in which to glorify God is our actual state; the best grace is that of the moment..." St. Peter Eymard
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teachingmyown
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So, fluoride supplements would not be the way to go? Do you all let your kids use the fluoride rinses that they market to kids? I worry about them swallowing it.
Anne (aussieannie), I need to look into that clay. I wonder if it is something we can get in the States. I have never heard of it. Thanks!
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In Christ,
Molly
wife to Court & mom to ds '91, dd '96, ds '97, dds '99, '01, '03, '06, and dss '07 and 01/20/11
Remembering Today
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LisaD
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We have never used fluoride supplements, including infant vitamins with fluoride added. It is too risky, imo. We assist our children in tooth brushing until they are at least 6 or 7 years old. At about 5 years old (when they understand not to swallow it), we have them swish with a fluoride rinse several times a week. We also try to floss our kids' teeth every night. This makes the biggest difference, imo.
Our pediatric dentist admitted to me that some kids are just more prone to the bacteria that causes decay. I have two kids that are cavity-prone, and two that are not at all. They all follow the exact same dental hygeine routine. Go figure.
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aussieannie
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It is actually mined in California, so I have mine sent out from the States! Here is the link to their site you can buy just the powder.
Yes Lisa, I agree with you, my two older children have just have their dental hygenist visit and the child who brushes her  teeth regularly got a good report, the one that doesn't brush his teeth that well, had plaque build up, gum bleeding and swelling and cavities...the hygenist stressed flossing, which I have not done with my children to date.
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trish
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Thanks for that link Anne. Something we struggle with here too.
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JodieLyn
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Molly when we chose to use one of those floride rinse type of things on a spot on our daughter's front tooth.. we didn't have her rinse.. I used a paint brush and "painted" the floride rinse on them. 
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JodieLyn
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I've also heard really good things about using magnesium oil for tooth brushing.
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Jodie, wife to Dave
G-18, B-17, G-15, G-14, B-13, B-11, G-9, B-7, B-5, B-4
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teachingmyown
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| Posted: Feb 13 2009 at 11:21am | IP Logged
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Thanks everyone! I have to admit to not being very good at supervising brushing and flossing. The dentist said even 11 yr olds don't really have the dexterity to get down along the gums, especially in the back. So, I am trying to be consistent with our brushing/flossing assembly line. Not one of my favorite aspects of a large family. Then again, I wasn't on top of it when I only had a couple sets of teeth to brush.
Jodie, I like the painting it on idea!
You all are so much more helpful than a Google search! 
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In Christ,
Molly
wife to Court & mom to ds '91, dd '96, ds '97, dds '99, '01, '03, '06, and dss '07 and 01/20/11
Remembering Today
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Betsy
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Anne,
Maybe this is fodder for your future blog post. But, how did you pick this company for your clay? I have been around "alternative" stuff to know that quality matters, but cost doesn't necessarily indicate quality, etc.
Also, does this keep indefinitely? Or another way to put this, is it worth buying bulk?
THanks,
Betsy
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4Real Forums : Our Lady of Good Remedy and Care
Topic: Fluoride?
