No one really thinks about bottled water before they buy it. Maybe you ponder your need for immediate clean water. Maybe you shake your head when looking at the price of a plastic bottle in the 7-11 down the street. Maybe you think about getting a water bottle holder for your bike. What you don’t consider is how it’s affecting your innards. It’s just plain water, it’s not doing anything to you, right? Unfortunately, this isn’t anywhere close to being accurate.
The Purpose Of Fluoride
It’s true, many brands of water bottles don’t have fluoride inside them. So when studies come out presenting tooth decay evidence, does this imply that we’re actually drinking more bottles than we were before? Not at all, it’s because we’re actually drinking far less fluoride than we used to. Fluoride is a very effective preventative substance in regard to tooth decay. It’s a natural mineral that appears in water and is easily absorbed into the enamel of the tooth.
The Concern For Family Dentistry
Children’s teeth are especially vulnerable to the effects of fluoride and absorb the substance quickly. It is crucial that children absorb fluoride early because it helps to build a decay-resistant structure that helps them with tooth health throughout their teen years and into their adulthood. This lack of fluoridation in water bottles is the major culprit since Americans drink around 6.8 billion gallons of bottled water. That metric has increased by nine percent over the past couple of years alone.
The Dentistry Solution
Though tooth decay can be attributed to the usual snack foods, soda pop and general lack of parental supervision in regard to what children are consuming, it’s still mainly bottled water which, granted, seems totally harmless. This is especially true for adults and children who use it as their main source of drinking water. In fact, most people believe it should be a regular part of their diet due to the idea that drinking a lot of water throughout the day will improve health and functionality across the board. For whatever reason, many people find it easier to drink water from a bottle, so they resort to this and are of course very surprised when their dental health declines. To combat this, it is recommended that you incorporate commercially prepared foods and drinks that have been fluoride-fortified into your diet. You can find out if a food item has been fluoride-fortified within the ingredients details. The second solution is rather obvious: fluoridated toothpaste. Although there are some professionally applied gels and varnished you can get to strengthen the enamel. If those don’t fit the bill, try dietary fluoride supplements, they often come in the form of tablets or drops. They’re generally intended for children and teens that are living in areas without fluoride in the water, but you can use these to your advantage as well.
Instead of purchasing tons of environmentally harmful water bottles, try purchasing a reusable water bottle to prevent natural impacts as well as cavities in your own mouth. If you’re concerned about your child’s fluoride intake, feel free to give Bitterroot Dentistry a call. As your Missoula Dentist, we’re happy to assist in any way can.
Contact Your Missoula Dentist
Family dentistry is our passion. We care about your health and the health of your family, so return to our blog often for free tips and tricks on how to adapt your tooth maintenance tactics to stay as healthy as possible. Interested in more of a cosmetic approach instead of a health consultation? Visit our cosmetic dentistry page to find out more about our optional procedures to help you get the teeth you’ve always dreamed of.
