Do you avoid drinking tap water because of the presence of fluoride in your local water supply?
Are you unsure whether or not fluoride in drinking water is good or bad for your health?
Do you want to avoid drinking water that contains fluoride but aren’t sure how you can best protect you, and your children’s teeth, without using fluoride?
If that’s you, you’re in the right place!
In this three-part series on fluoride in drinking water, I’m chatting to both an acclaimed dentist and toxicologist in an effort to uncover the facts and find the information so you can make an informed choice about your drinking water that best suits you and your family.
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If you’re reading this post and haven’t yet ready Part 1, the Case For Fluoride with Dentist Dr Agim Hymer and Part 2, The Case Against Water Fluoridation with Toxicologist Dr Peter Dingle, stop right now and go and check them out first.
I also encourage you to get your hands on my FREE summary on this 3-part feature on Fluoride In Drinking Water here. This download wraps everything covered in this 3-part feature in an easy to digest guide, plus it also contains a review on water filtering systems should you decide to head down that route.
Now, let’s dive into the final part of my 3-part series on water fluoridation where I touch on some of the main points covered during the series to help you get clarity on this issue.
If you’re anything like me, I’m sure that when you were listening to both Dr Hymer and Dr Dingle present their views on water fluoridation, you could appreciate both of their views. I mean, our health system is really struggling and can’t deal with increasing numbers of patients flocking in to go under general anaesthetic to have teeth extracted. And yes, from a toxicological perspective, there’s a strong case to be concerned about the ingestion of fluoride.
While Dr Hymer and Dr Dingle have strongly different views on water fluoridation, interestingly, and not surprisingly, they agree that above all, our diet, and more specifically, sugar and processed foods are the BIG issue, the root cause, the elephant in the room… whatever you want to call it.
Our modern western diet is not only destroying our teeth, it’s making us really sick.
What we eat and drink has such an impact on our health but it also impacts the environment too.
Now in Part 1, the case for water fluoridation, dentist Dr Agim Hymer shared his view on the topic.
He referred to the World Health Organization’s stance on the topic, which is that:
“Fluoridation of water supplies, where possible, is the most effective public health measure for the prevention of dental decay.
Fluoridation is the single most important intervention to reduce dental caries, not least because water is an essential part of the diet for everyone in the community, regardless of their motivation to maintain oral hygiene or their willingness to attend or pay for dental treatment.” (Source).
Dr Hymer also compared a typical day in his dental practice in Melbourne (where the drinking water is fluoridated) to a typical day in Mildura (a country town where the drinking water is not fluoridated)….. and they were vastly different.
Dr Hymer presented many reasons and background information on dental care, to support his belief that water fluoridation IS in the best interest for the general population. His main concern is the impact on an already struggling health system that would occur by an influx of patients with mouth infections and decayed teeth needing extraction (that tie up hospital resources), as well as health implications that are linked to mouth infections such as heart disease, pneumonia, low birth weight babies and premature babies.
Dr Hymer acknowledged that anti-fluoride groups do have some valid arguments. But he strongly believes that for the general population, who don’t get to the dentist regularly and who eat a highly processed diet high in sugars, that water fluoridation is a fantastic thing as it offers them some protection against tooth decay.
When we chatted about the increasing trend in people filtering their tap water or buying bottled water, Dr Hymer said that ….
“If you’re flossing, brushing, have a low sugar diet and going to the dentist and getting your teeth cleaned every 4-6 months, or whatever you and your dentist/hygienist work out; and you’re not having any problems, well that’s fantastic! It works for you! However, if you’re doing all those fantastic things and your kids are doing them too but one child is getting decay in their teeth, that’s possibly because genetically their saliva may be too acidic. You need to think about what your options are. Really, your options are fluoride!” Dentist, Dr Agim Hymer
Part 2 The Case Against Water Fluoridation
What The Toxicologist Says………
In Part 2 of the feature on Fluoride in Drinking Water, I spoke with acclaimed toxicologist, Dr Peter Dingle to hear his perspective on the issue.
Dr Dingle presented many reasons and background information to support his belief that water fluoridation IS NOT in the best interest for the general population due to health implications, ethical issues around mass medication, susceptibility and safety factor, and even epi-genetics and concerns for future generations.
Dr Dingle went into great detail on why he also believes that all water, including rain water should be filtered.
So What Are Your Options?
To Filter Or Not To Filter…. That Is THE Question!
If you live in an area of low rainfall or an environment without access to fresh and pure rainwater or surface water then you need to rely on the main source. You then need to make a choice whether or not to filter your tap water.
If, after taking into considering the cases outlined above for and against fluoride in drinking water, you choose to filter your water, you’ll need to choose a suitable filter.
These days there are passive filters available for under $200 that can remove many impurities, including up to 90% of the fluoride.
The most economical and convenient filtering device is a passive jug such as the Fill2Pure models. (Enter code LTrotta10 to receive 10% discount on your order).
The Fill2Pure Water Filter Jug removes up to 99.99% of contaminants found in tap water however retains beneficial minerals like calcium, magnesium and potassium. At 3L in capacity, it easily fits inside a refrigerator.
The filter capacity is 600 litres or approximately 200 refills of the jug. There is no need to count the litres as the filters don’t expire; the water flow becomes slower and slower until it is time to change the filter.
Another option is to purchase a larger bench filtering unit such as the 10L Ceramic Fluoride Water Filter available here.
Unlike terracotta units, this stoneware / ceramic filter system will not grow mould, become stained, deteriorate with age or leave a clay taste in your water. The water purifier is fired to stoneware temperature making it the perfect non-toxic material to store drinking water that is waterproof and extremely resilient to cracking, crazing and chipping. It’s fitted with a stainless steel tap, which makes it even more convenient to fill your reusable water bottle.
This unit includes one high quality ceramic, carbon core super sterasyl filter that lasts 2000 litres (approx. 12 months).
When it comes to reusable drinking water bottles, I personally use (and love) the stainless steel EcoCocoon bottles. They’re extremely durable, insulated (which is a must in the hot climate I live in!) and condensation-free.
You can also purchase reusable drinking water bottles with in-built water filters (so you can filter your water on the go). You can view Fill2Pure’s range here. (Enter code LTrotta10 to receive 10% discount on your order).
Summing Up
Many reasons both for and against water fluoridation have been presented in this review.
Fluoride arguably has a role to play in preventing tooth decay and mouth infections (which can lead to more complicated health issues that place strain on our health system) however whether this role is via drinking water supplies will continue to be highly debated.
There are many documented health and toxicological impacts of fluoride consumption on human health and it appears there may be impacts we still don’t fully understand (such as in the area of epigenetics and impact on future generations).
The one common thread that both dentists and toxicologists agree on is that our diet needs to change.
Without a doubt, sugar and processed foods are the root cause of many modern illnesses and the sooner you and your children embrace a diet rich in wholefoods and low in sugar, the sooner you’ll enjoy optimum health. If you’re looking for assistance to help you quit sugar and transition to a wholefoods diet, there’s so many great resources out there these days to help you. I recommend Sarah Wilson’s I Quit Sugar Cookbooks and 8-week program and Lisa Corduff’s Small Steps To Wholefoods program.
If you eat a low sugar, wholefoods diet you significantly reduce your risk of tooth decay but bear in mind there may be a hereditary disposition to more acidity in your mouth leading to decay. If you choose to remove fluoride from your drinking water, ensure you practice optimum dental care and maintain regular check-ups with your dentist.
Recommended Resources and Products:
Fill2Pure Water filter Jug – (Enter code LTrotta10 to receive 10% discount on your order).
Fill2Pure Stainless Steel Drinking Bottles with Inbuilt Filter – (Enter code LTrotta10 to receive 10% discount on your order).
Ceramic Fluoride Water Filter
EcoCocoon Stainless Steel Water Bottles
I Quit Sugar – recipe books and 8 Week I Quit Sugar eCourse
Small Steps To Wholefoods eCourse
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Laura Trotta is one of Australia’s leading home sustainability experts. She has a Bachelor of Environmental Engineering, a Masters of Science (in Environmental Chemistry) and spent 11 years working as an environmental professional before creating her first online eco business, Sustainababy, in 2009. She has won numerous regional and national awards for her fresh and inspiring take on living an ‘ecoceptional’ life (including most recently winning the Brand South Australia Flinders University Education Award (2015) for the north-west region in SA and silver in the Eco-friendly category of the 2015 Ausmumpreneur Awards). With a regular segment on ABC Radio and with her work featured in publications like Nurture Parenting and My Child Magazine, Laura is an eco thought leader who’s not afraid to challenge the status quo. A passionate believer in addressing the small things to achieve big change, and protecting the planet in practical ways, Laura lives with her husband and two sons in outback South Australia. 
