By Zuerrnnovahh-Starr Livingstone
http://educate-yourself.org/zsl/fluoridetoothpaste05apr04.shtml
April 5, 2004

Ken,

At the new year I decided to totally eliminate fluoride from my diet. The last fluoride was in my favourite toothpaste. The fluorideless toothpaste at the health food store tastes like chalk because that is exactly what its main ingredient is. The second ingredient is sugar and third is baking soda. Chalk is the abrasive and the baking soda is the actual cleansing agent. I have tried coarse salt as a tooth cleaner and did not like it, but I had not tried baking soda.

The first brushings with baking soda were an experience. Salty but less than half as salty as sodium chloride. The only abrasive action is when it is dry. It takes just a small bit of powder to do the job so the box of Arm and Hammer I started with three months ago is still going strong.

The point I want to bring up is: Increased saliva excretion. I do not know if the elimination of fluoride increased saliva or if baking soda performed the miracle.

My dentist says that saliva generation decreases with age and with less saliva there is more gum disease and tartar. Those are the two main reasons why older adults make regular visits to the dentist for teeth cleaning. Gum disease is the primary cause of tooth loss in older adults.

With the return of saliva my gums are very healthy and the build up of tartar has decreased. Another benefit is the decrease in breath odor.

With toothpaste now costing less than two dollars per year, fewer visits to the dentist and fewer breath mints I am saving a small fortune. Considering I was merely trying to eliminate fluoride, a mind altering chemical I have discovered that my favourite toothpaste was not doing the job of cleaning and protecting my teeth.

If fluoride is known to block saliva flow, the continued use of fluoride in toothpastes could be considered as wrong for that reason alone. There of course are other reasons why fluoride should not be used and whole websites are dedicated to its elimination from the human body.

ZSL

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