My brother is a dentist, so I argue with him about this. Fluoride does indeed harden the teeth, but it also makes them more brittle, because they get too hard. Instead of the compound that forms from fluoride - fluorapatite - the body's natural compound is hydroxyapatite, which is not quite as hard but also more flexible. The combination of hardness and flexibility ensures greater longevity for the teeth. Get yourself off fluoride toothpaste because you're doing your teeth a disservice in the long run using fluoride. Get yourself off fluoridated water, because the same overhardness/brittleness will build up in your bones over time.
My brother is a dentist, so I argue with him about this. Fluoride does indeed harden the teeth, but it also makes them more brittle, because they get too hard. Instead of the compound that forms from fluoride - fluorapatite - the body's natural compound is hydroxyapatite, which is not quite as hard but also more flexible. The combination of hardness and flexibility ensures greater longevity for the teeth. Get yourself off fluoride toothpaste because you're doing your teeth a disservice in the long run using fluoride. Get yourself off fluoridated water, because the same overhardness/brittleness will build up in your bones over time.