Fluoride Benefits

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In order to fully understand fluoride, and it's benefits, one must first have an adequate understanding of what the element fluorine is. According to Merriam-Webster, fluorine is a nonmetallic halogen element that is isolated as a pale yellowish flammable irritating toxic diatomic gas. And fluoride is basically the ionic form of the element, fluorine. It's essential role is to help the development of healthy teeth and bones. Fluoride is a trace mineral, meaning that our diet needs it in small amounts. According to the RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance), the adequate intake of fluoride for men is 4 mg per day, while women can ingest 3 mg per day, and children 4-8 years of age can consume 2.2 mg per day. We can get fluoride from many reliable sources. Some food sources include, fish, legumes and whole grains. But, nothing seems to scream fluoride quite like municipal water supply, …show more content…

We need our chompers to help us break the food that enters our mouths on a daily basis. And since our mouth is the first stop in the digestive void, our teeth play a very important role. Many times sugar will interfere and cause problems for the antagonist (still talking about our teeth). Sugar spreads bacteria, which is accompanied by acids that eat away tooth enamel (one of four major tissues that make up teeth). This can eventually cause gum disease and tooth decay. Tooth decay is the process in which teeth begin to decompose, do to bacteria and other fungi. Crackers, sugary cereals, caramels and soda pop's are some of the main components of tooth decay. Even breast milk has some sugars that can effect the baby's gums if they are fed for long periods of time. This is where fluoride steps in. Fluoride enhances tooth mineralization and inhabits the metabolism of the acid-producing bacteria that cause tooth decay. Fluoride is even being researched currently, for the potential treatment for osteoporosis (a fragile bone

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