You may be missing the benefits of fluoride!

Today, more and more people are drinking bottled water. Bottled water contains no caffeine, no calories, and no sugar. Plus, bottled water comes in convenient bottles, easy to carry from home to wherever the busy family goes.

Bottled water is quickly becoming one of the nation’s most popular drinks. Beverage Marketing estimates bottled water consumption reached an all –time high of 11.7 billion gallons last year compared to 2000, when Americans consumed 4.7 billion gallons of bottled water.

The human body depends on water to keep organs and systems working. Water that contains a healthy amount of fluoride, a natural mineral, helps prevent tooth decay and builds strong teeth. In areas where there is not enough fluoride in the water to keep teeth healthy, many communities add a tiny amount of fluoride to the water supply to make sure that residents get the right amount of fluoride.

If bottled water is your main source of drinking water, you may be missing the benefits of fluoride. This is because the majority of bottled waters contain very little, if any, fluoride. Many popular brands of bottled water undergo a treatment called distillation, which remove all of the fluoride from the water.

People who drink mostly bottled water, especially those who have children, need to be sure they receive a healthy amount of fluoride. How can you be sure you are getting the right amount of fluoride in bottled water? Start by checking the label for fluoride. Unless fluoride has been added to the water, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration does not require bottled water companies to point out fluoride content on the label. Contact the company and ask what level of fluoride the water contains.

Remember that amounts of fluoride are the same whether they are reported in parts per million or milligrams per liter. The best amount to keep your teeth healthy should be 0.7 to 1.2 ppm of fluoride. One part per million (ppm) is equal to 1 milligram per liter.