I don’t know if you have heard about this “rumor” but apparently, some people think that drinking bottled water can cause cavities. How true is this? To answer this question, we have to go back to the basics – drinking water.

In the old days, drinking bottled water was not the norm. We just turned the tap on and drank the water. Today, some families are concerned about the safety of drinking tap water and as such, make use of bottled water as the main source of their drinking water. Now what is the difference between the two?

Tap water comes straight from the water supply of the community. In some areas of the country, the natural water supply contains a certain amount of fluoride – enough to keep teeth healthy and free of cavities. In other areas, however, there is not enough fluoride in the natural water supply. As such, fluoride is added to the water supply of communities. In this way, children and adults alike get enough fluoride to maintain healthy teeth. Add to this the fluoride that people get from toothpaste and cavities are not normally a problem.

When it comes to bottled water, however, there is usually not enough fluoride present. What happens is that during the processing of the water, the fluoride may be removed from the water. This could be the reason that children develop cavities – the lack of fluoride. This should not be such a huge source of concern, however, if bottled water is not the main source of drinking water.

Originally posted on February 22, 2008 @ 11:06 pm