TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – For decades, we’ve added fluoride to water here in Florida — but the issue has recently gained much more traction.
Gov. DeSantis could sign a recently passed bill, which aims to remove fluoride from public water.
“Sometime mid-to-late last year, it became a very big topic very quickly,” Dr. Jenna Kever said.
[WATCH BELOW: A doctor weighs in on the fluoride debate in Florida]
Within the last year, several places in Polk, Volusia, Lake, and Seminole County voted to stop putting fluoride in their water,
“If you’re getting it in your toothpaste, your mouthwash, and your drinking water, are we getting too much?” said Jay Zembower, Seminole County Commission Chair.
Zembower was one of the Seminole County Commissioners who voted to remove fluoride last month.
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He believes the debate began in the Sunshine State after Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo recommended that local governments stop adding fluoride to drinking water.
“I look at historical data, and from the time we started fluoridating water back in the 50s until now, we’ve had the government say that’s too much scale back in 2015,” said Zembower.
Dr. Brenna Kever, President of the Florida Dental Association Foundation, doesn’t support the measure and believes people are confusing topical and systemic fluoride.
“Topical fluoride agents in your toothpastes, mouth rinses, and things like that are great to have some protective effect. However, systemic fluoride, like what’s in our water supplies or what’s in our water naturally, can help with the formation of teeth,” Dr. Kever said.
She believes high levels of fluoride can be harmful, which is why monitoring those levels in drinking water is important.
“If you have salt in the correct amount in your daily diet, that is not harmful. If you have a ridiculous quantity of salt, that is not going to be good for you. Same with fluoride. In the right amount, it is safe and healthy and protects our teeth,” said Dr. Kever.
Dr. Kever said that your dentist or pediatrician can prescribe fluoride supplements to add to your drinking water if you’d like.
She also said that filtration systems can help limit fluoride in your water, but you need to check to see how much is being removed.
If the legislation gets signed into law, it will go into effect in July.