t’s usually safe to swallow in small amounts. However, a toothpaste tube contains only 0.15 percent fluoride. To be fatal, an adult must consume the equivalent of eight tubes.
The following are the side effects of fluoridated toothpaste consumption:
Dental Fluorosis
Dental fluorosis is not a disease and will not negatively impact your oral health despite the pejorative connotations the term may evoke. Instead, it describes the faint white spots that can appear on the teeth after too much fluoride consumption during childhood.
Such markings appear only on teeth that are yet to break through the gums. It cannot affect adult teeth or those that have erupted through the gums. The tooth enamel discoloration it causes is permanent but not harmful, so it’s best to avoid it by avoiding swallowing too much toothpaste.
Skeletal Fluorosis
Skeletal fluorosis, a condition of the bones and joints, can develop if a person consumes too much fluoride-containing toothpaste. The effects of this disease are much more unpleasant than the damage done to their enamel.
Skeletal fluorosis causes bones to harden and become less elastic, increasing the likelihood of bone fractures. Joining mobility issues in the joints are another possible result of the excess bone tissue that skeletal fluorosis causes.
Fluoride Poisoning
Consuming large amounts of fluoride all at once can lead to poisoning. Some of the symptoms include:
- Diarrhea
- Drooling
- Convulsions
- Heart attack
- Eye irritation
- Nausea and vomiting
- Shallow breathing
- Irregular or slow heartbeats
The effectiveness of treatment is proportional to the amount of fluoride consumed and the speed with which it is delivered. A person has a better chance of recovering if they seek medical attention more quickly.
Neurological Problems
High fluoride intake during pregnancy will result in developmental delays in some children. An indication of this is the correlation between high fluoride exposure and IQ decline. Epidemiological studies indicate that fluoride is a neurotoxin that impairs the intellectual development of children.
Thyroid Imbalance
Damage to the parathyroid gland, which may result in hyperthyroidism, is another likely outcome of prolonged exposure to fluoride. Hypothyroidism indicates a deficiency in the production of vital hormones by the thyroid. Fatigue and hair loss are two typical symptoms of this condition.
Bone problems are another possible consequence of hypothyroidism, as calcium deficiency can make bones more fragile and prone to breaking and fractures.
