Is Bottled Water Bad for Your Teeth?

It sounds silly, doesn't it?

Bottled water is the second highest selling non-alcoholic drink in America. It's right behind soda, but that's a different blog post all together. In fact, we hand out bottled water to patients as they leave our office. It's just something nice we do to help alleviate the dental aftertaste.

However, an excess of bottled water is not necessarily healthy for your teeth. Most drinking water from the tap contains fluoride, which helps prevent cavities. In fact, having a filter on your tap may also filter out the fluoride. Charcoal based filters such as Brita and Pur will not filter out fluoride, while reverse osmosis filters will remove the fluoride.

For a list of which bottled waters do contain fluoride, please visit bottledwater.org.

Additionally, fluoride treatments are not just for children. The next time you visit your hygienist, ask for a fluoride treatment. It helps prevent decay, and your insurance company shouldn't dictate your health.