What’s That Stuff? Flouride
There are many reasons why people disapprove of adding fluoride to drinking water. One main reason why some people disagree with the concept of adding fluoride to drinking water is because it tends to stain teeth when used in high amounts. The excessive amount of fluoride has a tendency to turn teeth brown which Fredrick S. McKay realized in Colorado in 1901.
My position on adding fluoride to drinking water goes both ways. I think it is a good thing to add fluoride to water because it can help prevent tooth decay. Also, with the great technology we have now, scientists can put in the right amount of fluoride so that it will prevent tooth decay but will not stain our teeth. Another positive thing about fluoride is that it could be added to almost any compound so that you are not restricted to one source. Although these are all positive things about using fluoride in drinking water, there are also a few down-sides. First of all, there is always the possibility of the fluoride staining our teeth. Also, fluoride tends to add a unpleasant taste to water which discourages the consumption of fluoride enhanced water and just water in general. Overall, there are both positive and negative aspects of using fluoride in drinking water.
Before fluoride could be widely used in toothpaste and mouthwashes there were many technological advances that had to take place. First of all, scientists had to find out how much fluoride they could put into the products so that the fluoride would help the teeth without staining them. Secondly, they had to find FDA approved ways of adding it to the products so to keep the consumers safe. Also, they had to find the proper supplement to the abrasive used in these products. They had to find the proper compound of fluoride for the abrasives because some compounds, such as sodium fluoride are not soluble with the common abrasives that are used in toothpaste and mouthwashes. These are many of the technological advances that had to be made before fluoride could be widely used in toothpaste and mouthwashes.
The side affect of using fluoride that concerns me the most is that the fluoride in the drinking water can stain our teeth and if consumed in large amounts it can harm the body. This concerns me because of course, no one wants to have mottled, stained, and brown-colored teeth. Also, as I said before, if it is consumed in excessive amounts, it can harm the body. This obviously concerns me because in general no single person wants to cause harm to their body. These two possible side affects of using fluoride in drinking water are the two effects that concern me the most.
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