Toothpaste. We all use it, twice a day, once in the
morning and once at night. It helpss keep our mouth as healthy as can be.
Majority of toothpastes have sodium fluoride which aids in strengthening our
teeth’s defenses against bacteria.
Sodium fluoride is an inorganic salt that can be
found naturally in a mineral called Villiaumite. It can be produced when making
phosphate fertilizers or if sodium carbonate is treated with hydrogen fluoride.
In small doses, it’s not harmful to human but I
wouldn’t recommend taking a bite of Villiaumite as a part of maintaining
healthy teeth. If sodium fluoride is consumed in high doses for a long period
of time, it can cause a condition called Fluorosis. Fluorosis is when your teeth and bones can become yellow and brittle. Some other symptoms
are burning in your GI tract, vomiting, abdominal pain, weight loss, and
general weakness.
If used correctly, sodium fluoride can be very
useful. In everyday life, it can help prevent tooth decay and aid dentists in making
teeth resistant to decay. In the work force, sodium fluoride is used as a wood
preservative; disinfectant in breweries and wineries; make glass and glass-like
enamels; and used in the production of insecticides and pesticides for ant and
roach control.
If regular toothpaste doesn’t float your boat, there
are other ways to keep your pearly whites nice and clean. The first way is for
those DIY people who want to try their hand at homemade and completely natural
toothpaste. It’s a simple recipe that only needs 2 ingredients: baking soda and
coconut oil. Substitute this mixture for your normal toothpaste and it will
produce the same results as toothpaste would. If that is not your cup of tea,
the other option is to purchase Desert Essence’s Natural Tea Tree Oil
Toothpaste. It uses the same logic as the first alternative but instead of
coconut oil, tea tree oil is used. It comes in a handy tube and a variety of
flavors.
Sodium Fluoride does ruffle the feathers of certain
people who are against adding fluoride to drinking water. Local governments decide
whether or not to add it. For example, Calgary Alberta used to have fluoridated
water but was voted to stop in 2011. Calgary’s Bow river and Elbow river both
have naturally occurring fluoride in them but the fluoride in that water is the
last thing a person should be worried about when drinking from those swampy rivers.
Moral of the story, don’t eat a rock if it’s labeled
Villiaumite, try out different toothpastes to see which works for you, don’t
drink straight out of any river without some sort of filtration, and listen to
your mother and brush every day. Mother’s know best.
References
1 Ed. Neil
Schlager, Jayne Weisblatt, and David E. Newton. Vol. 3. Detroit: UXL, 2006.
p747-751. COPYRIGHT 2006 Gale
2 Science Lab.
Sodium Fluoride MSDS. http://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9927595
3 IXOM. Sodium
Fluoride MSDS. http://msds.orica.com/pdf/shess-en-cds-010-000031020001.pdf
4 City Of
Calgary. Fluoride in Calgary’s Water.
http://www.calgary.ca/UEP/Water/Pages/Drinking-water/Fluoride.aspx
5 Danielle
Rabb-Waytowich. Water Fluoridation in Canada: Past and Present
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