The Department of Human Services announced on January 7th that revisions were made to the recommended optimal levels of fluoride in community drinking water. Historically, the recommended optimal level for water fluoridation has been 0.7-1.2 parts per million (ppm). The new recommendation for fluoride levels is 0.7ppm. The federal government is not recommending that communities stop adding fluoride to drinking water, rather, it has recalibrated the recommended amount needed in drinking water to reduce the incidence of decay while minimizing the rate of fluorosis.
Fluorosis is a condition caused by a child receiving too much systemic fluoride (fluoride in drinking water) during tooth development. The critical period of exposure is between 3 months to 8 years old. In its mild form, fluorosis appears as tiny white streaks or specks that are often unnoticeable. In the most severe form fluorosis is characterized by black or brown stains and cracked and pitted enamel. Severe fluorosis can pose difficulties when your dentist performs restorative procedures (filling, sealants, and crowns etc). The mottled or pitted enamel does not bond as well to filling and sealant material as does healthy enamel.
Lubbock’s municipal drinking water comes from Lake Meredith and is optimally fluoridated to the Federal government’s specifications, in 2010 the average level of fluoride was 0.77 ppm. The fluoride (and other mineral) levels are tested daily to insure that municipal drinking water has enough fluoride to be effective and safe. If your drinking water is from a well, the amount of fluoride can vary vastly. Water from a well goes though several layers of rock and soil before it gets to the well. Rock and soil in west Texas is very fluoride rich, so many families drinking well water are ingesting too much fluoride from their drinking and cooking water. Our recommendation is to have your well checked frequently for fluoride levels, because they can change from year to year, and wells that are close together can have very different levels of fluoride. We also recommend balancing the amount of fluoride that your kids take in from well water, for instance, cook with well water, but drink bottled water. Potentially your kids will be getting enough fluoride to be effective, and not too much that can cause fluorosis. If you live in Lubbock and have municipal water service, drink and cook with tap water, the amount of fluoride in Lubbock water is effective and safe.
If you or kids already have fluorosis, it is important to receive topical fluoride treatments to strengthen the enamel of the affected teeth. Your dentist may prescribe a toothpaste or mouth rinse with higher levels of fluoride for prevention of decay. It is also extremely important to maintain oral hygiene. It is easier for plaque to stick to the roughened surfaces of enamel affected by fluorosis than normal enamel that is smooth.
Please let us know if you have any concerns for yourself or children, we would be happy to take a look and make sure all is well!!
Check out this article in the Lubbock Avalanche Journal:
See pics of "fluorosis":
http://www.google.com/images?client=safari&rls=en&q=fluorosis&oe=UTF-8&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=BUdQTcrAL4ycgQfAg5kk&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=2&ved=0CDoQsAQwAQ&biw=1024&bih=664
I never thought that fluoride could be that addictive. Well, like you said, "too much of a good thing could be bad." We just have to be careful next time, then.Diana Dickert
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