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It's a
health warning all parents of babies should
know about. Fluoride is added to the tap
water in most water districts in Tennessee.
The American Dental Association says this
prevents tooth decay, but this month an
advisory was added to their website. Do
not mix fluoridated water with your baby's
formula.
Fluoride added to our water to help strengthen
our teeth and prevent cavities but some
are saying it may do more harm than good.
Fluoride is a poision that can be a harmful
substance when it comes in the body in
certain amounts.
Health researcher Dan Stockin worries
that severe dental fluorosis like this
is a... ...warning to a deeper danger.
"It's turning out now that thyroid disease,
kidney damage, bone cancer in young boys,
a number of these things are tied to drinking
fluoridated water."
Just this month the American Dental Association
warned that powdered baby formula should
not be mixed with fluoridated tap water
due to a higher risk of fluorosis.
That's a warning that mother, Brea Faeth
wishes she had gotten a little sooner.
"It's a little scary. You know to be specifically
told to use tap water because of the little
bit of fluoride that is added to it unlike
bottled water and now to hearthat that
could be causing damage is scary."
Pediatric dentist Jeannie Taylor has
seen a lot of young teeth. " I couldn't
really believe it when I heard about it,
but it makes a lot of sense. With little
ones they don't need quite as much fluoride,
they're more sensitive to the levels in
the water and to tell you the truth I
have seen especially on the front teeth,
a good number of children with the white
streaks, the fluorisis on their teeth
and it could be as a result of this."
Stockin says the fluoride in the water
coming out of most of our taps comes from
a surprising source. "It's collected in
the formof a liquid in air pollution collection
devices on smokestacks at phosphate fertilizer
factories in Louisiana and central Florida,
that's literally where we get the substance
that we fluoridate with."
Fluoride in our tap water does have many
known benefits according to Jeannie Taylor.
" I think it should definitely be in our
water. there has been such a difference
documented over the last 50 years in the
number of cavities and the severity of
cavities so, I think it's a good thing
I just think it needs to be monitored,
especially with babies."
Brea Faeth is glad that her daughter
Gentry will soon be saying bye bye to
formula. "She's almost one year old so
she'll be on the whole milk now and she
won't be using the formula so that is
good we won't be doing that anymore but
it is scary to know she went for six months
on tap water formula."
In its mild form, dental fluorosis appears
as permanent white lines on your kids
teeth. To avoid the fluoride in tap water,
you'll have to use bottled water or add
special filters to your home. Common charcoal
filters like the ones found in refrigerators,
don't filter out fluoride. You can also
call your water company and ask them to
stop fluoridating the water in your district,
it is voluntary forthe water districts
in Tennessee. Researcher Dan Stockin says
if you really believe in fluoride, use
fluoride toothpaste and then spit it out.
Copyright 2006 by WKRN Nashville Tennessee.
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