I know why we shouldn’t swallow toothpaste with fluoride, and I know drinking water with fluoride in it is safe, but I don’t understand why drinking water that contains fluoride is different.
In: Biology
Like a lot of things, it is all about dosage.
Small amounts, such as in municipal water or incidental to brushing, help strengthen teeth.
Large doses, such as in toothpaste, build up in undesirable ways in teeth and bones.
Fluoridated water is less than one part per million because that’s all you need if you’re just drinking it. It can safely be higher but that comes with side effects, like turning your teeth brown. Fluoride in toothpaste is much more concentrated because it’s not meant to be ingested, so more of it is needed to be effective. Swallowing it won’t kill you, but it’s not good for you either.
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