Tap water vs. Bottled Water, and the increase in tooth decay

[Coney]

Tooth decay is on the rise in the U.S. due to the use of bottled spring water. Bottled water has no flouride in it, and more and more people are getting cavities because they refuse to drink tap water.

Parents are giving their children bottled water because its "cleaner". I had a big discussion with some folks at work the other day about tap water and one person said they would never give their child tap water because of all the "stuff" in it. Someone brought up the point that drinking tap water will give your child exposure to things that will give it immunities, and also give it flouride--which results in less tooth decay.

Before bottled water, there was no other choice, so why all of a sudden is tap water the worst thing in the world?

I have a Britta filter pitcher at home to get the extra lead out of the water from old New York pipes, but that's as far as I'll go. I think it's sorta paranoid to think that tap water is SO bad for you that you'll catch some disease from it. Especially in cities in the U.S. where water is usually very drinkable.

Americans should consider themselves very lucky to have water that they can drink out of a tap, ANY tap, cause there are so many people in the world who have to drink from a river that's polluted and full of bacteria and disease. We're very lucky to have clean water. (We even flush our toilets with clean water!)

[rabid_child]

I think its all a little silly. Some bottled water now ADDS floride so that kids can drink and still have nice teeth. I have a friend who grew up on (unfloridated) well water and his teeth are all cavitied. If thats even a word! I drink tap water 100% of the time at home, but where i'm dog sitting right now, it tastes really icky. It actually left a foul aftertaste in my mouth. :P

[Max Power]

The whole flouride in the water thing makes my head spin. There seems to be as many reports and studies FOR flouridation as AGAINST it, Newsweek had a cover story linking it to cancer! Seems to me that bottled water has not been around nearly long enough to perform the longitudinal tests to show whether it is or isn't affecting tooth decay. At the same time, though, I'd like to see the rate of toothbrushing studied, as well as the increase in sweet-food intake, SODA intake, and sugar-content of foods in general. I think they're ALL more important to any tooth decay issue.

BTW, you think all americans have drinkable tap water? Stop by and see me some time here in delaware. Our water is grade-D for "Dupont" :)

[kraftykraft]

See I have always drank tap water and I am still alive (as far as I know). This is mainly because I am cheap and can't justify spending around $1.00 per bottle when it comes out of the tap for free. I love it at work when I fill my bottle from the tap and people freak out and look at me like I have an extra head. "You can't possibly want to drink that" they say. I just smile and go about my business.

[Christy]

I drink bottled water and have a filter on my kitchen tap because it tastes better. I think the taste is regional. Good dental hygiene is a good alternative.

[Coney]

Max, I guess I meant most people in the States. There are people who have bad well water that comes out brown, and then you've got tastey DuPont water. MMMMMmmmmmm, chemicals:-)

If you have access to good drinking water, I think it 's a waste of money to be buying bottled all the time. I also think it's just another reason for a large corporation to have a corner on the water market.

[Epinephrine]

i'm a tap water drinker.. and i'm very much against adding fluoride to it. there's a whole wave of people who have stained teeth because of too much fluoride (called dental fluorosis), which costs more money to treat than treating cavities. fluoride accumulates in your bones throughout your life, making them more breakable. and there is no research at all that shows that floride in water has any effect on tooth decay.

[freemouse]

Tap water in Hawaii tastes really yum! I HAVE TO drink filtered water when I travel to many places on the mainland because it tastes like mop water (do they put bleach in the water or something??).

[Flower]

I used to use a Brita filter on my faucet until I had my water tested by a professional. I quickly found out that the filter did squat to rid the water of any contaminants, so now I just use tap water. As for bottled water, I only buy it when I'm out of town and need something to drink.

[Loki]

With bottled water, you have much more reassurance that you won't be ingesting chemicals added to the water by any govenments wishing to mind control you...

Dammit, that black van has been parked outside my house for sometime now.

Seriously folks, I'm not bothered if it's tap or bottle. But I actually prefer the taste of bottled water. I can sorta tell the difference. But I'm not all that bothered which one I drink in terms of health.

[Corri]

I don't think there's fluoride in my water...i drink tap water anyway. I get enough fluoride from toothpaste and mouthwash and the dentist and i keep em clean, anyway. i drink bottled water when its convenient, and tap when it's convenient, it doesn't matter much to me.

[ObsidianZebra]

most tap water in florida is frikkin' nasty. I'm sorry, but having water that looks like it came out of a snow dome doesn't exactly seem very heathy imo. I'm personally very wary about claims that flouride really prevents tooth decay. Most tooth paste out there contains flouride as well - is it really necessary to get it from tap water?
Also - where's the evidence that this increased tooth decay is caused by drinking bottled water and not other causes?

[EquiPro]

The water here in SA is awful, also. I remember when we first bought this house (1990). There was a brand new dishwasher put in when we moved in. A few years later, it just stopped working altogether. I called a repairman, and when he removed the grate from the bottom, it was full of what could only be described as stalagtites of hard water buildup. I was horrified and immediately went out and got not only a water softener, but a full reverse osmosis system put in as well.

The water here tastes horrible, and as ObZe said, if you put tap water in a glass, there is stuff floating around in it. It also has a bad taste of chlorine.

I have become very, VERY suspicious of water from a tap. I am always so pleased when I go somewhere and the water from the tap tastes good. NYC has some of the best tasting tap water anywhere. I can hardly believe how good it is.

[Cissy]

If I drank bottled water I'd be poor - I drink LOTS. At school, I just refill my bottle at the water fountain, rather than spending 3 or 4 dollars on water every day. Better for the environment too, plus our town has really good water, unless you live really near the lake.

[eggplant]

The water in Arizona is the worst water I've ever tasted, so I have a filter on my tap. I drink far too much water to buy it, plus I think it's a waste of plastic to buy bottled water. As for fluoride in the water... since we have fluoride in our toothpaste, I think it's probably more likely that if we do indeed have an increase in tooth decay, it's due to the fact that kids drink a lot more soda and eat a lot more crap than they used to. I've seen babies drinking Coke from their bottles!

[Cissy]

Oh yeah, and our town doesn't have flouridated water, I believe. We have well water, so I really don't think so. But I take care of my teeth and go to the dentist, so not a problem.

This reminds me of the movie "Dr. Strangelove" when they're talking about the Russians...I <3 that movie.

[Lothar M Kirsch]

I think it´s impossible to tell for different places what to do. Some places have good tap water and buying bottled water, which has travelled 100s of k or m would be bad for the environment. Sometimes filters may have their use, but they have to be changed often and some exchange calcium for sodium.
Fluorid may be used in toothpaste. Fluoridated water adds to the intake of fluoride in excess which might have negative effects on the pineal gland (and more). I think it´s a good idea to call the local waterworks about the contents of your tap water.

[Coney]

What does the pineal gland do? I've heard that it's a gland that's either left over from long ago, or it's one that we're developing as humans for use later in evolution. I'm very curious as to what it does.

[veggiewriter]

I drink tap water at home and bottled water (brought in by a company) at work. I like both. I grew up drinking tap water and I don't have any cavities; don't know too many people who can say that. (However, I admit that my mother wasn't big on sweets or soda--can't ever remember having cans of soda in the house, actually--so that probably had a big effect on my mouth.) Basically, I just go w/taste.... I have wondered about the flouride thing before... I'd imagine that if anything, just simple hygene and genetics probably have greater effect than flouride. Again, I'm not an expert...

[kirkjobsluder]

Many times bottled water is just tap water run through a filter.

[veggiewriter]

Wasn't there a 20/20 report that showed just that? And some of the bottled water they tested was even more 'contaminated' than tap water?

[EquiPro]

I like bottled water that has been filtered. From what I have seen, it isn't really "just run through a filter". Were talking reverse osmosis, oxygenation, and all kinds of filters. I like that.

I really love my Reverse Osmosis (RO) system in my kitchen. It does a 5 step RO filtration that supplies me with RO water from a special tap. It also is connected to my ice-maker, so my cubes don't taste like blech. It makes the RO water continually, so I have enough to use it to boil pasta, whatever. I just refill water bottles to take with me.

It's sort of an initial expense (although I notice that they are now carrying them in Sam's and Costco for a couple hundred dollars - hooking them up might require hiring someone to do it), but it is a money saver over the long run.

[Faery Girl]

RO system? wow! never heard of it! I need to consider buying one.

The water in Los Angeles is sooo gross...especially the water that comes out of my rusty old 1920's pipes. I'm always on the go and drink tons of water, so I drink bottled water and we have bottled water at work. I buy two cases of Trader Joe's sport top bottles a week - I think it's like $6.50...not bad...
we recycle!!!

[doola]

I read somewhere that the reason why the manufacturers had to start listing fluoride among the ingredients in toothpaste (over here in Germany at least) is because it is poisonous (it's late over here and I can't think of a better word, but it can be harmful to your health).

I am not sure where I read that but I think it was a credible source.

Of course, the amount used in toothpaste is probably small, but having it in your drinking water is a different story.

[doola]

This is slightly off topic, but has anyone here ever heard of using quarz to clean water and keeping it in glass containers as to reanimate it?