Sorry to say this but if you are pregnant and using a high flouride toothpaste - I would think again. The baby absorbes all that is put into your mouth and skin, more in the mouth as when brushing you can scrape the gums and the toothpaste absorbs into your system easier.
If it is high in flouride it probably has sodium lauryl sulphate in there too? In the USA now, all toothpastes with this ingredient in has a warning message on the tube "if you swallow more than used for brushing, seek medical advice immediately" that's what it says!
I would steer clear of sulphates and flouride to protect your baby - those ingredients may not be safe and lets face it, who wants to unecessarily risk their baby?
macymoo - There is not that many toothpaste out there classified with "high flouride" During pregnancy womens gums are effected by the hormones enough to be on the lookout for a specific toothpaste. Most out there are just fine.
Of course i dont encourage swallowing the toothpaste, but again i dont know that many people that would want to.
You do not need to stay clear of flouride, you need to look after the health of your own teeth. Babies take enough of our calcium as is. And especially being an american website, i wouldnt believe everything you read.Especially when they NEED warning lables on there toothpastes - If you swallow more than used for brushing... what do they do there... eat it after every meal???
Toothpastes have been around for decades and there are plently of healthy bubs out there with mums who brush there teeth.
I would worry more about being out on the road breathing in the car fumes and someone walking paste u with a cigarette in there hands then the tiny amount of toothpaste we use everyday.
Its exactly like the people who complain about mecrury in amalgam fillings, you would get more mercury eating a fish from the ocean then in a filling. Worried about taking an xray? you would get 100 times worse radiation flying on a plane.
People are very mislead about alot of things in dentisry.. and i can say i nor any other specialist i had worked along side have NEVER told a pregnant women to change her toothpaste because she was pregnant.
But thats not saying feel free to change it yourself... but i wouldnt scare people with those sort of things.
I agree that flouride can be toxic in large amounts but so can carrots, water, bananas.
The amount of floutide found in toothpaste will only cause you a problem if you are brushing your teeth many many times a day
Just a clarification, I didn't read about the toothpaste warning on an american website - I wasn't trying to scare anyone! I have just returned from the states and all of the toothpaste sold in that country has that warning label on the packet.
Most people try not to swallow toothpaste but a lot of the ingredients are absorbed through the gums into the bloodstream anyway and what's in your bloodstream ends up in your babies bloodstream.
The amount that is absored is soooo minimal. Yes a high amount of flouride can effect a baby. And believe it or not i got so into this subject i took it to work and discussed it with my boss -a periodontist- (for those who dont know, specialises in gum health)- ( who studied in both aust and america ) Of 15yrs who said it would only effect a baby if u were taking strong flouride doses...ie flouride tablets.
You do not need to worry about toothpaste. But of course dont swallow it everytime u brush for lots of reasons anyhow.
I switched to red seal natural toothpaste and havent had sensitive teeth since. Used to have really sensitive teeth so you could try that.
Im a bit divided on the flouride thing, as studies Ive read have conflicting results. Seems you find what you want to. Think id prefer to err on the side of caution and not have it in our water. However if you do do flouride, I read topical application rather than taking it is supposed to be more effective.
heliana - everyones entiltled to there own opinion, but if you saw the huge amounts of damage i have seen in ppls mouth from the 'non flouride in the water "period of time, u would definately think otherwise
Buzzie, what 'non fluoride period of time' do you mean? Only because we dont have flouride in the water here now. But I have done a lot of researching on it because it is going to be added to our water and because I wanted to know whether to give the drops to my daughter.
I wouldnt personally put all dental decay down to lack of flouride because I think there are other factors - could be poor nutrition in that time period, poor dental hygiene, etc, Tooth decay rates in all countries are declining, regardless of if they have flouridated water or not.
I also wonder, what about a baby being made formula on fluorided water, should they have the same dose as an adult? Also why have some countries now removed fluoride from their water ie Germany and Czech Republic.
Anyway all i said was that Im not convinced, and dont believe in forced medication. I have a toddler cracking up on my lap so I can't think of what Im trying to say. And I did find changing toothpaste helped with my sensitive teeth, haha back to the subject.
I grew up drinking water with flouride in it and have never had a filling. Neither have any of my sisters or my DP and his sisters. I brush my teeth twice a day with normal colgate toothpaste and sometimes use a mouthwash. I floss sometimes as well if I feel like I need to and my teeth are really healthy.
I think the flouride made our teeth strong growing up as well as making sure we had a diet rich in calcium.
of course its not all flourides fault, yes lack of oral hygiene and dental knowledge also played a big factor.the only reason they would remove it would be high levels of it i would guess. making a baby formula with water wouldnt hurt. Plus i dont even know where you are located so i dont know why they would remove it from your area. I havent done alot of research into all the issues on every suburb, its just what we are taught at uni, eg. older ppl suffered more part due to the water.
Less than 5% of queenslanders currently have access to fluoridated water. The government is phasing it in over the next 5 years starting next month. I personally think that fluoride in the water is a good thing but not because the government is telling me so. Recently the qld government allowed a mine site in central queensland to release flood water into the river and now all of the people in the surrounding towns have been told not to drink the water (apparently it has a strong smell even when only showering in it) and they are being provided with subsidised bottled water
Eeeek! My toddler has a habit of sneaking into the bathroom and grabbing the toothpaste to suck!!! My 13yo DD is always leaving it within his reach What is the nature of the brain damage? If I Google will I find reliable info or overly hysterical anti-flouride agendas?
I grew up in QLD, no fluoride, and I've never had a filling or a cavity. Went to the dentist to get a wisdom tooth removed two weeks ago and my teeth are perfect so dentist says so TBH I think its about oral hygiene not fluoride in the water.
ETA: Bath, I think unless he swallows multiple tubes of highly fluoridated toothpaste at a time I wouldn't worry.
Last edited by Indadhanu; November 28th, 2008 at 12:50 PM.
ta Leash... he is my "smartest" child but there are so many ways in which brains can be damaged I guess... I was probably just hoping to have something specific to say to my DD so that she remembers not to leave it out.
I think also that genetics palys a large role in whether a person is suseptible to tooth decay. I think the thickness of enamel varies from person to person... those with thin enamel (no matter how careful and hygenic they are) will have more decay. I'm also fairly lucky to have thick enamel... my 2nd child has inherited this... my oldest has my DH's thinner enamel... not sure about my toddler yet...
I definitely agree with genes playing a part in it. My siblings and i have always brushed twice a day and flossed maybe a couple of times a week (not everyday like we should) and i have quite a few fillings - stupid thin enamel!
Actually a lot of dental decay is based on diet and hygiene. However fluoride works in a couple of ways/
During your formation of your adult teeth when you are a child it has an effect on the formation of the enamel, making it very resistant to decay. (not i said resistant, not decay proof), and as you get older the fluoride has a two fold effect by killing bacteria, stimulating saliva flow and topically remineralising your enamel layer to give a more protected tooth. So it has benefits from all stages of your life. Its a naturally occuring element that is present in rocks, in fact Tea drinkers get a lot of fluoride as well.
Any toothpaste with 1000ppm (which is practically all the ones you buy) are good enough for daily use. I prescribe neutrafluor 5000 for high risk people with a history of decay ( i recommended alot of this when i worked in QLD, dental decay is shocking there.)
As far as genetics, there isnt much protection genetically. You tend to get your bacteria from your parents (primarily your mum). so if you have good teeth, you can thank her. Most dental decay is caused by some really nasty bugs, and these are passed through a family usually. Also families tend to share bad eating habits, so no suprises when a family has a history of decay from excessive sugar and acidic food consumption.
If you finished all this, congrats you deserve a gold star. I need a life!
LOL Agentmolar - Love the nic BTW!! We recomended alot of neutrafluor when i worked with hygienists not so much now im in periodontics. I heard QLD have terrible teeth issues there.
I did read your whole post.. teeth are my life also LOL
Its amazing how many mums you tell not to suck on the dummy to pass on the germs in your mouth, but they just dont understand and keep doing it.
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What is the nature of the brain damage? If I Google will I find reliable info or overly hysterical anti-flouride agendas?
We recomended alot of neutrafluor when i worked with hygienists not so much now im in periodontics. I heard QLD have terrible teeth issues there. 
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