Parents are seeking fluoride-free dentists. Here's what experts say.

Dr. Naomi Sedani, a pediatric dentist in Darien, Connecticut, has noticed a rising trend among her patients. 

As Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his “Make America Healthy Again” supporters advocate for the removal of fluoride from the public drinking water supply, more parents are coming to Sedani’s practice concerned about its safety. 

The Centers for Disease Control calls the practice of adding fluoride to tap water systems one of the 10 greatest public health achievements of the last century, but Health and Human Services Secretary Kennedy has called fluoride an “industrial waste.” The day after Trump's victory, he told MSNBC that "fluoride will disappear.” 

Across crunchy mom groups and parenting pages on Facebook and Reddit, “fluoride-free mamas” are seeking “holistic dental care” in increasing numbers. They even took to social media to share their excitement over Kennedy’s confirmation and anti-fluoride stance. Some mothers are adamantly against fluoride toothpaste or mouthwash, suggesting alternatives like hydroxyapatite, while others are conflicted and seeking more information. 

As more parents come in looking for guidance, Sedani thinks “RFK Jr. especially” has put discussions of fluoride “back on the market.” While she adheres to board recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry to administer fluoride treatments, she says she would never force it on a patient and would rather have an open conversation weighing its safety and benefits. 

What is fluoride and is it safe? 

Fluoride is a mineral naturally present in water, soil, and certain foods, such as tea, grapes and raisins, apples, potatoes and spinach. In dentistry, healthcare providers use fluoride as a foam, varnish or gel to strengthen teeth and reduce the risk of cavities. 

When a person eats or drinks, bacteria in the mouth produce acid that dissolves minerals in a tooth’s surface, making the tooth weaker and susceptible to cavities. Low levels of fluoride replace the minerals lost, according to the CDC. 

Children are taught not to swallow fluoride (including in fluoride toothpaste), as ingesting high amounts can lead to nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, according to Poison Control. Excessive systemic exposure to fluorides can also lead to skeletal fluorosis, which causes pain, stiffness and bone deformities, or dental/enamel fluorosis, which causes tooth discoloration. 

The American Dental Association says fluoride is a "safe, beneficial, and cost-effective" public health measure, citing studies that it cuts cavities in children and adults by 25%. 

Dental caries, a common chronic infectious resulting from tooth-adherent cariogenic bacteria, is the most prevalent chronic disease that disproportionately affects lower socioeconomic status communities.

“It is quite likely that folks, for example, who have less access to dental care probably benefit the most from water fluoridation. From an access standpoint, fluoride makes the need for dental care less frequent,” says Dr. Fernando Hugo, chair of the Department of Epidemiology and Health Promotion at NYU College of Dentistry.

However, a report released in August 2024 by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services found that drinking water containing more than 1.5 milligrams per liter was "consistently associated with lower IQ in children." 

But the report, which evaluated studies conducted in Canada, China, India, Iran, Pakistan and Mexico, noted that the fluoride levels found to cause such risks were more than twice as high as the amount U.S. officials recommend be added to public water systems.

While the U.S. Public Health Service sets the recommended fluoride levels, state and local governments implement their own fluoridation levels, sometimes determined by voters, according to the CDC. In some areas, the level of naturally occurring fluoride in the water is already at a level that can prevent cavities. 

The report also did not specify how much IQ levels dipped or whether adults could also be affected.

Some people who switched to holistic dentistry have since posted to TikTok expressing that their oral hygiene had worsened, resulting in cavities.

This dentist has been fluoride-free for 33 years − and he's never been busier

Dr. David Villarreal, a biological dentist in Newbury Park, California, says the anti-fluoride movement is nothing new. He has been practicing dentistry for 40 years, 33 of which have been fluoride-free. 

Even in the '90s, patients sought him out for fluoride-free care. But now, he says the demand has been amplified. 

“Now I get more because of the internet and social media,” Villarreal, who belongs to the International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology (IAOMT), a science-based biological dentistry association, explains. “There’s definitely an upswing on it, which makes me very happy.”

While some of Villarreal’s new patients are seeking more information, most are “ready to make a change” after reading about fluoride online. 

However, he says some patients still follow misinformation after “educating themselves to a fault,” such as believing that “you can repair your own teeth.” Some fluoride-free advocates believe that you can reverse cavities to avoid drilling and fillings, but this is only applicable in the early stages of a cavity before the decay process progresses beyond the enamel, according to the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research. 

In biological dentistry, doctors emphasize the connection between oral health and overall physical well-being and seek the “least toxic way to accomplish the mission of treatment,” while understanding that some toxicity is necessary, according to Villarreal and IAOMT. 

“You get a bunch of moms together who want to protect their children with everything. I think that's why we're seeing more and more of this movement,” he says. 

Villarreal adds that an under-discussed, motivating factor for seeking fluoride-free care is the calcification of the pineal gland, a tiny endocrine gland in the middle of your brain that helps regulate your body's circadian rhythm by secreting the hormone melatonin. 

Pineal calcification and melatonin dysregulation have been independently correlated with neurodegenerative diseases. Various studies state that while fluoride from environmental sources can build up in the pineal gland, the theory that fluoride is related to dysregulated melatonin production remains debated and needs more research.

Some parents aren’t sure what to believe when it comes to the ‘fluoride fight’

In contrast, most of Sedani’s patients who ask about fluoride are “confused about what to believe” after hearing about fluoride “in the news,” and want to know her stance. For kids who are at high risk for cavities (based on oral hygiene, diet and other preventative factors), she recommends using fluoride toothpaste at home and receiving fluoride treatments during their exams. 

But Sedani says when parents come in curious, they usually leave wanting the varnish.

“The ones that refuse varnish kind of tell us from the get-go, and they’re not open to having the conversation,” she says. “I’m like, ‘It’s up to you. I’m just here to tell you the information, and you can make the decision.’ But I would say 99.9% of them are putting on the varnish once that conversation happens.” 

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Parents are seeking control over their kids’ health

Sedani believes the desire to make independent, informed choices about their kids' health is at the root of many parents’ concerns when it comes to fluoride-free dentistry, as “you can’t have control everywhere when it comes to fluoride.” 

“Parents are just concerned, especially in this day and age, about what they’re putting into their kiddos’ bodies,” she explains. “So I think them being able to have the control at home make that active decision is where I feel a lot of these conversations stem from, not always just, ‘Oh, does it decrease my child’s IQ?’”

As a provider, she takes a backseat on the “fluoride fight,” and says at the end of the day, there’s “no wrong answer.” 

“Flouride is just one element of the equation,” she explains, adding that diet, brushing techniques, flossing and mouthwashing all play a part. But for now, she doesn’t have a recommendation for any form of treatment that does “anything similar to fluoride. Flouride, still, to me, is what I’m going to recommend for that pillar of the equation.”

Contributing: Cybele Mayes-Osterman