Nope, none of that. But I have no reading to recommend or anything. I good freind of mine is a doctor and gave me a few articles she had from medical journals that were about how flouride was harmful- I wish I had made copies!

for the most part, no. I didn't think i would and it's not in our water but my son started developing multiple "pre" cavities and so i'm willing to use a flouride toothpaste for a little while until he gets older and will brush his teeth better and with more regularity.

From your post i'd say you have strong feelings on it and are following them. Why worry about what others are doing? If you've researched your decision and are comfortable with it don't let it bother you.

I use fluoride drops. I think dental health is important and so I do the drops in their juice/water a few times per week. It's not for the teeth they have it's for their adult teeth. It's beneficial and really helps their teeth get strong and healthy. It was highly recommended by both the doctors and dentist. I would not recommend putting fluoride directly on baby teeth because it's not for their current teeth it's for the adult teeth. It can cause staining if you put the drops directly on teeth. Using the recommended dosage or a little less than that is safe.

I just got a script for baby G and I'm going to start them in the next couple weeks. Emma and Lucas use fluoridated toothpaste and sometimes I still give them drops, too for the teeth that still aren't in yet.

Here is some information from Dr. Sears. He recommends it but only in certain circumstances.
www.askdrsears.com/html/3/t030900.asp

I find the evidence abuot fluoride is another one of those controversial things. I;ve read plenty pro (which is the official dental position) and con. and I can really speak from my own experience but it;s only that...I come from a family very prone to dental problems, and I was HEAVILY fluoridated as a child: got the fluoride paint treatment, prescription fluoride rinses, fluoride toothpaste, adn the Arrowhead water with added fluoride (although I think it was added to our municipal tap water anyway.)

the good news? no additional ehalth problems from fluoride "poisoning."

the not so good news: my adult teeth are VERY prone to decay, and Weston Price be damned, i DON'T think it;s because of my vegetarian diet. (no one in my family of origin besides me is vegetarian and they all have had serious dental problems throughout life too.)

now I AM starting to think that either cod liver oil, like they used in my parents' generation (I'm over 50 myself) or incrased sunexposure for natural Vitamin D may help with cavity prevention. have read some epidemiology on this but it;s not very conclusive. I'm not convinced any other form of supplementation does all that much re Vit D absorption.

i do have strong bones...no fractures ever... no fractures ever except maybe a broken toe, thoug I;m pretty active (which probab,y improves bone health) adn do seem to fall off things and do minor smash-ups on myself periodically, as I have throughout life.

I also think ther;s a big difference between drinking water with naturally occurring fluoride as a mineral ion, and adding it to drinking water and medications, though i don't have any ahrd evidence to support this either: we jsut know that even inorganic minerals act differntly when obtained from water extracting them from naturally presnt rock than from adding them in "purified" form.

here's also what little I knowbiochemically: fluoride substitutes chemcially for calcium in bone and similar substances (e.g., tooth enamel) but it is not the same. Minerals work togethr in bodily growth processes, and calcium ion is sometimes liberated from bone (and I imagine teeth - I;ve stuidied anatomy and physiology but I'm a little weak on some of the tooth development stuff, quite honestly) becuase it is needed in the bloodstrrream to perform other functions including maintaining nerve and msucle function, regularing hormiones, etc...fluoride does not work in those kinds of calcium applications, so it might remain in bone or tooth but won;t be as dynamic for otehr needed functions. we tend to think of the skeletal system as being hard and dry and "already formed" including out teeth but in faqct they are living tissue that is constantly being broken down and re-formed jsut like softer tissue or our blood 9which si also a tissue.)

si I'm less alarmist than some of my other antural-medicine friends about fluoride but I am also skeptical about it being the :Wonder substance" it was proclaimed in my childhood and beyond.

Maria,
From everything I've read your concerns and actions are well warranted. The three studies that the ADA and CDC rely on were funded by the Aluminum smelting industry and their data grossly misconstrued to serve the agenda of that industry. If one were to independently analyze the data from, say, the WHO it is obvious that the rate of dental carries has decreased globally in communities regardless of water fluoridation. What is not discussed by the CDC or ADA is the fact that rates of dental and skeletal fluorosis, dental and skeletal fractures and cancer rates are significantly higher in communities with fluoridation compared to communities without. It is interesting to note that the ADA, CDC and Public Health Department officials and representatives in my local community and many other communities refuse and avoid at all cost open public debate on the subject data. Seems the can and will only offer the same repetitive, regurgitated rhetoric found on their websites, unable to stray from the script and address any pertinent questions.

You may find this posting from another fellow tribe member in another forum poignant, as did I.

For anyone else wondering about fluorides ability to concentrate in and cause calcification of the pineal gland please refer to these fully linked and cited studies:
www.fluoridealert.org/health/pineal/

Fluorides effects on the developing brain:
www.fluoridealert.org/translations.html

Yes we avoid fluride at all costs too! I've actually read that the fluoride was first put in the water in Nazi Germany to help control the population!

I found this interview to be very enlightening. I don't allow any fluoride treatments for my sons or myself. Understanding the history of the use of Sodium Flouride in our tap water makes for a more informed decision. And this IS something you should look into!

video.google.com/videosearch