

Ep 179 Fluoride 2: Fighting tooth and nail
Jun 17, 2025
Dive into the heated debate surrounding fluoride and its impact on dental health. Explore personal stories and childhood dental struggles that illuminate the importance of this mineral. Discover the complexities of dental caries, the role of diet, and the significance of saliva. Unpack myths around fluoride in drinking water while assessing its health implications. Engage with fun anecdotes and ethical fashion discussions, all while sipping on a creatively named cocktail. It's a fascinating ride through science and storytelling!
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Dentist's Personal Fluoride Story
- Rafael (Dr. Santore) describes losing teeth as a child and later seeing community fluoride reduce cavities in his practice.
- He credits systemic and topical fluoride for dramatically lowering decay in diverse communities over decades.
Caries Are an Ecological Process
- Dental caries result from acid-producing shifts in the oral microbiome plus enamel demineralization.
- Saliva buffers acid and enables constant cycles of demineralization and remineralization that determine tooth health.
How Fluoride Protects Teeth
- Fluoride works mainly at the tooth surface by delaying demineralization and speeding remineralization.
- It also disrupts bacterial metabolism and at high levels forms fluoroapatite, which resists acid.