The Pros and Cons of Water Fluoridation: What Every Family in Herriman, Utah Should Know

At Copper Mountain Dental in Herriman, Utah, we believe in educating our patients and community about the best practices in preventive dental care. One of the most debated topics in family dentistry today is water fluoridation. While fluoride has been added to public water supplies for decades to help reduce tooth decay, emerging research and growing interest in natural approaches to dental health have prompted a closer look at the pros and cons.

So, is water fluoridation truly beneficial—or are there safer, more natural ways to prevent cavities?

What Is Water Fluoridation?

Water fluoridation is the process of adding fluoride to municipal water supplies to help reduce tooth decay. The practice began in the 1940s and is still recommended by many public health organizations. However, it's not without controversy.

The Benefits of Water Fluoridation

Fluoride has been shown to strengthen enamel and reduce the risk of cavities, particularly in communities that may not have access to regular dental care. According to decades of research, communities with fluoridated water tend to have lower rates of tooth decay, especially in children.

In the video Why Is There Fluoride in Water? Is It Effective?, Dr. Michael Greger of NutritionFacts.org explains that fluoridated water can reduce the incidence of cavities, particularly in low-income populations with limited access to preventive dental services.

The Potential Risks of Fluoride Exposure

While there are documented benefits, it's important to recognize potential risks. Excessive fluoride intake, particularly in children, can lead to dental fluorosis, a condition that causes visible changes to tooth enamel. Fluorosis is unlikely in children who are drinking fluoridated water unless they also consume large amounts of fluoride from other sources such as ingesting large amounts of toothpaste, fluoride mouthwash, or overdosing on fluoride vitamins.

More recent research has also raised questions about neurological development. In Why I Changed My Mind on Water Fluoridation, and Is Water Fluoridation Safe?, Dr. Greger discusses a study out of Canada that found slightly lower IQ scores in children whose mothers had higher levels of fluoride exposure during pregnancy. While this doesn't prove causation, it adds to some research suggesting caution when it comes to fluoride intake during pregnancy and infancy. The risk to IQ in the study dealt with pregnant mothers ingesting fluoride. The benefits of fluoride can still be attained by using it only topically on children when they actually have teeth and thus not expose them during critical developmental stages in the womb or in infancy.

This series of videos and the studies they cited helped change my mind on fluoride as well. As a dentist I was an advocate of fluoride in the water for years because I practiced in an area with no fluoride in the water I saw dramatically more decay than in other areas where I had practiced where they did add fluoride in the water. As doctors we have to be willing to accept good science and new evidence when it becomes available and be willing to recognize when we were not entirely correct about something. I have seen first hand that fluoride does indeed help prevent tooth decay but maybe not worth it if it is causing lower IQ in our children. I think there is a balanced approach to get the benefits of fluoride while lowering the risk of brain injury to our kids. The topic of Fluoride like most things in life is nuanced.

You can learn more about how public health policies are slow to adapt in response to this evolving science in Medicine’s Response to the Changing Science on Fluoride Safety.

A Shift in Perspective: Can Decay be Prevented without Fluoride?

While fluoride does help reduce cavities the affect is mostly topical so there is no need to ingest the fluoride to get the same benefits. Tooth decay is preventable. The root cause of tooth decay is primarily added sugar in the diet. However many of us in Herriman, Utah consume a lot of added sugars in our diets. See our other blog article on this topic. In How to Stop Tooth Decay, Dr. Greger emphasizes that removing added sugars from our diets can dramatically reduce the risk of cavities—often eliminating the need for fluoride altogether.

At Copper Mountain Dental, we believe in addressing the cause first: we encourage all our patients to reduce added sugars, brush and floss daily, and visit us regularly for checkups and cleanings.

That said, we also believe evidence supports the effectiveness of topical fluoride. Products like fluoride toothpaste, mouthwash, and varnish provide cavity protection without as much systemic exposure associated with fluoridated water or supplements that are swallowed.

Because the benefits of fluoride for decay prevention are primarily topical, and with the emerging evidence to suggest a potential adverse affect on IQ for developing infants, Dr. Lindgren no longer recommends fluoride tablets or other forms of systemic fluoride ingestion for children. We feel this approach offers effective protection while minimizing unnecessary fluoride exposure—especially during developmental years. Fluoride can be given topically in the form of professionally applied varnish, toothpaste, and mouth rinse. However the main downside of removing fluoride from the water supply will put more vulnerable, low income kids at risk of tooth decay. Many of these kids don't have regular access to dental care and end up with large cavities, tooth infections, toothaches, and end up loosing baby teeth and adult teeth at an early age.

Respecting Patient Choice While Supporting Evidence-Based Care

At Copper Mountain Dental, we respect every patient’s right to make informed decisions about their health—including the use of fluoride. We’re here to guide, not judge, and we’ll always support your choices with compassion and transparency.

In our clinical experience, patients who completely avoid all forms of fluoride—especially if their diets are high in sugar—tend to experience more frequent and severe tooth decay.

It’s also worth noting that many Herriman families use highly filtered or reverse osmosis (RO) water, which removes fluoride along with other minerals. For those households, fluoride was already being filtered out of the drinking water, even if the city supplies it. This makes it even more important to consider topical fluoride options, and dietary sugar reduction especially for children or anyone at higher risk of cavities.

That said, fluoride isn’t the only option. Some studies have found similar effectiveness in hydroxyapetite toothpaste compared with fluoride toothpaste but the evidence for the effectiveness of hydroxyapetite toothpaste is more limited while the evidence for the effectiveness of fluoride is well documented with many more studies and decades of research. Hydroxyapetite toothpaste is also usually more expensive. If you choose not to use even topical fluoride, we strongly recommend a very low-sugar diet and a strict home hygiene routine.

For those seeking added protection, we offer:

• Professional fluoride varnish (quick, affordable, and effective)

• Prescription-strength fluoride toothpaste for at-home use

  
  

  These options offer targeted cavity prevention and are especially helpful for children, teens with braces, and adults with dry mouth or gum recession.

A Real-World Example: What Happened in Calgary

The impact of removing fluoride from a city’s water supply isn’t just theoretical. In this short video, you’ll see what happened when Calgary, Canada, decided to stop fluoridating its water. Within a few years, cavity rates increased, especially among children, sparking renewed debate and concern among dental and public health professionals. Unfortunately they did not study the changes in childhood IQ with this study so while we know that fluoride in the water reduces tooth decay the question is at what cost to our children's neurological development?

What We Recommend at Copper Mountain Dental

As your trusted family dentist in Herriman, here’s our balanced and evidence-based recommendation:

• Be informed: Understand both the benefits and risks of fluoride use. The risk of fluoride use is low and there is a well established benefit to prevent tooth decay.

• Prioritize prevention: Limit sugar intake, brush and floss daily, and schedule regular dental visits.

• Use fluoride wisely: Topical fluoride (toothpaste, mouthwash, varnish) is a safe and effective choice--try to limit how much is swallowed and don't allow small children to eat and swallow large amounts of toothpaste or fluoride mouthwash.

• Consider your child’s stage of development: We recommend avoiding systemic fluoride ingestion in young children, especially during pregnancy and early childhood.

• Communicate with us: Whether you’re pro-fluoride, fluoride-free, or somewhere in between, we’re here to help and we respect your decision.

  
  

Visit Your Herriman Family Dentist Today

At Copper Mountain Dental, we’re proud to offer modern, prevention-focused dental care for the whole family. Whether you choose to use fluoride or not, we’re here to support your oral health journey with personalized recommendations, honest education, and gentle care.

Call or text us today to start building your healthiest smile—your way.