Does drinking too much bottled water harm your teeth?
Drinking a good amount of bottled water is often
encouraged by doctors and dieticians alike, since staying hydrated is an
important component of being healthy.
But some experts contend it may come with an added risk –
compromising your dental health, HealthDay News reported.
Manufacturers of bottled water proclaim their products to
be “clean” and “pure,” but not every brand contains a very important
ingredient: fluoride. The compound –
made from a combination of fluorine and soil and rock minerals – is voluntarily
added to the majority of public water supplies in the U.S. to help reduce
dental cavity risk.
However, the choice to add fluoride to bottled water is
left up to the manufacturer’s discretion, with most opting out. Dental experts are concerned that with so
many people consuming bottled water – approximately 8.4 billion gallons a year
– people will experience more cavities and worse dental hygiene.
And the trend will most likely intensify children,
according to Dr. Burton Edelstein, president of the Children’s Dental Health
Project in Washington, D.C. He described
the rising rate of tooth decay in children as “alarming.”
Given the behavior of U.S. parents, the trend may
continue. A recent survey published in
the journal Pediatric Dentistry found 70 percent of parents give their children
bottled water, either in place of or alongside tap water, citing convenience
and taste preference. Fear of tap water
contamination was also given as a reason.
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