What is your stance on fluoridated water?

Fluoride is an element derived from natural water sources that has many different health effects. Some of these effects are beneficial and some not so beneficial according to who you ask. About 2/3 of the water sources in America have been fluoridated by water treatment facilities since the 1940’s. According to the government and some dental professionals, the addition of fluoride to drinking water is to promote healthy growing teeth in children and to prevent tooth decay and cavities over time by strengthening the tooth enamel. According to the American Dental Health Association (ADHA), the fluoridation of water along with the use of fluoride toothpaste twice a day has shown a reduction in tooth decay by 50-60%. Some other countries do not agree with these findings.
The majority of Europe has either banned or rejected the fluoridation of public water. In May 2007 a study was conducted by the health, water, and environment authorities as to the opinions of Europeans concerning fluoride. Many people responded stating that fluoridation should be a choice of the individual and that water should be kept as pure as possible.
When fluoride was first added to drinking water, it was believed that ingestion was most beneficial. More recently, dental researchers have shown that fluoride is only effective when applied topically or directly to the teeth such as when using toothpastes or mouthwashes that contain fluoride. Some researchers have shown that fluoride causes staining of the teeth, or dental fluorosis, if too much fluoride is ingested and that it can have harmful effects on the body. Because not all of the fluoridated water is ingested, and is also used for washing dishes and clothes, showering, and lawn care, most of the fluoride is wasted. These recent findings have caused a shift of opinion in Americans and have emphasized the importance of freedom of choice for fluoridated community water.
The ADHA states that “water fluoridation costs, on average, 72 cents per person per year in U.S. communities (1999 dollars)”. There are much more economical water filters that we offer that will remove the fluoride and that will retain the fluoride. If you have children and are concerned with their dental hygiene and would prefer to have fluoridated water, you may use a variety of water filters that will reduce other harmful contaminants while retaining the essential minerals and fluoride such as the Aquasana AQ-4000 countertop unit, the Omnifilter CBF3, or the Aqua-Pure Easy Complete System. If you decide that neither you nor your family should consume fluoridated water, we do offer reverse osmosis systems that will remove fluoride from your drinking water along with a variety of other harmful contaminants for the purest drinking water quality. We offer such systems as the Watts WQC4 Kwik Change System, and the Hydrotech 4VTFC75GPB for fluoride removal..