why we fight about fluoride
genius or Flint, Michigan?
How is one not supposed to be critical—or at least a little suspicious—of fluoride being added to the water supply? It’s giving World War Z without Brad Pitt.
And frankly, that’s not a world I want to live in.
Wherever you land on the conspiracy theory train, it’s challenging to deny that adding this halogenic compound (cc: my chem professor) to our water has led to some unforeseen—and unsettling—consequences.
In the early twentieth century, an American dentist named Dr. Weston Price set out on one of the most fascinating world tours you’ve never heard of. He didn’t go chasing the Seven Wonders—or snapping selfies—but traveled to remote, untouched corners of the globe to study people’s teeth.
Dr. Price set out to investigate the oral and overall health of indigenous people groups. From the Swiss Alps to the Pacific Islands, he studied communities who had lived off their native lands for generations, specifically to understand how their health had not been affected by industrialization.
Despite vast differences in cultures, these groups had something remarkable in common: radiant health and strikingly straight, cavity-free teeth. I know the Maasai warrior tribe doesn’t exactly scream Crest 3D White™, but hey—findings are findings.
Price concluded that strong teeth were a visible marker of robust health—and that the crooked, decaying teeth of industrialized societies were warning signs of deep nutritional deficiencies.
Replacing traditional animal fats like butter with industrial seed oils had a profound impact on people’s oral health. Also to blame? Replacing raw milk with Coke and sprouted grains with Wonder Bread.
We became overfed and undernourished. As a result—among many—people’s teeth became, well, cavity-ridden.
Instead of asking the root question—what’s causing poor oral health?—mid-twentieth-century dentists and health officials opted to patch the problem. Cue fluoride: a compound another dentist, Dr. Frederick McKay, discovered could significantly reduce cavities.
So, fluoride was added to the water supply. And it did help reduce cavities.
What fluoride doesn’t address are the root causes: widespread nutrient deficiency, metabolic dysfunction, and gut dysbiosis that manifest as tooth decay.
So sure, maybe we have fewer cavities. But the deeper problems are still very much with us.
As one study reported, 94.3% US population does not meet the daily requirement for vitamin D, 88.5% for vitamin E, 52.2% for magnesium, 44.1% for calcium, 43.0% for vitamin A, and 38.9% for vitamin C.
Overfed, undernourished.
For anyone with a functioning prefrontal cortex, hearing that something’s been added to the municipal water supply should trigger: 🚩
And that was the reaction back in the ’50s. Some believed the Soviet Union was sneaking it in to weaken Americans (plausible!). Others claimed our own government was using it to control the population (which, honestly, I can entertain). And then there’s the population control theory. Very fascinating, tbh.
Wherever you land on the conspiracy theory train, there’s no denying that adding this halogenic compound (cc: my chem professor) to our water has led to some unforeseen—and unsettling—consequences.
Here’s the a quick breakdown:
The Low IQ Situation: A Harvard meta-analysis investigating fluoride’s neurotoxicity in children found a striking trend: kids with higher fluoride exposure tended to have lower IQs.
“Fluoride seems to fit in with lead, mercury, and other poisons that cause chemical brain drain,” said Dr. Philippe Grandjean, the study’s author. “The effect of each toxicant may seem small, but the combined damage on a population scale can be serious. Especially because the brain power of the next generation is crucial to all of us.”
Worth noting: this study came out in 2012. Before TikTok. Between fluoride exposure and the 0.2-second attention spans gifted to Gen Z by the algorithm makers, we ought to be praying for a brainpower miracle.
Infertility: Lending some serious credence to the population control theory, multiple studies have uncovered a troubling correlation between fluoride exposure and impaired reproductive health.
We’re talking reduced sperm motility, hormonal disruption, and testicular damage in men and menstrual irregularities and altered hormone levels in women.
Fluoride’s not up all night to get lucky.
Other documented concerns: fragile bones, microbiome dysbiosis, possible cancer, and kidney problems.
As a result of fluoride’s less-than-impressive résumé, the following countries have banned or rejected fluoridated water:
Germany
France
Italy
Netherlands
Belgium
Sweden
Norway
Austria
Denmark
Finland
Iceland
In classic American political fashion, the #Resistance loves fluoride because Robert F. Kennedy Jr. doesn’t like it.
Take Connecticut, for example: the Democratic state legislature is actively working to shield itself from federal mandates ordering the removal of fluoride from drinking water. Or as Senator Elizabeth Warren warns: “Say goodbye to your smile and say hello to polio.”
This reflexive nature of the current political moment feels like a fight we all had with our siblings. When we were six. "Deter likes golf, so I hate golf."
Except on Capitol Hill, ditching rationality just to avoid consensus—and, more importantly, concession—has far more serious consequences than a playground scuffle. Politicians’ egos are fed. But the people, and their health, lose.
While we wait for the kids on Capitol Hill to stop fighting (don’t hold your breath), I highly recommend getting a water filter that removes fluoride for both drinking and showering.
I do believe fluoride’s original intent was noble. But the thinking behind it was flawed from the start. Smart scientists and physicians get to the bottom of the problem to understand and correct the systemic issue; they don’t just diminish the symptoms of a malfunctioning system.
Fluoride doesn’t fix the root of root canals.
What does? Returning to nutrient-dense, ancestral foods that build strong jaws and support lasting oral health. Beef and fish. Veggies and fruits. Nuts and seeds. Raw milk and cheese. Unrefined grains.
And most importantly—butter.