Originally posted by lazs2
very small amounts of flouride are probably harmless and at the same time...do help prevent tooth decay in children. At the same time....with todays dentistry and the ability to give the much more effective flouride treatments to childrens teeth it is pretty much unnessary.
On the flip side... very small amounts of flouride have a determental affect on adults teeth. Not much but measureable. Adding anything to water is a risk... flouride is a potent toxin in realtively small doses.
Fluorides prevention of cavities isn't something that only helps children. It's mechanism for reducing cavities is simply that presence of the fluoride in your saliva effectively lowers the pH value needed for the enamel to start to decay.
The most common acid produced by bacteria in your mouth is lactic acid with a pH-value of about 5. Normal enamel starts to decay at 5,3-5,5, but with fluoride present, the pH-value have to be about 4,5.
It's true that moderate doses of fluoride can damage the teeth, but only while they are forming, so as an adult you won't see damage to your teeth by taking in higher doses of fluoride over a period of time, since your teeth don't grow.
