Here’s a surprising fact: tap water is usually free and contains fluoride in most U.S. municipalities. Meanwhile, purified water costs you three dollars a gallon, and you’re essentially paying to remove something that prevents holes in your teeth. It’s like vacuuming your house and then throwing the dust back on the floor—except your house is your mouth.
If you’re terrified of fluoride because of some internet article about pineal glands that sounds like a sci-fi plot, let me stop you right there. The amount in tap water is tiny. You’d have to drink a swimming pool’s worth to cause any trouble. Your body’s bigger problem is probably the sugar you’re about to put in that purified water.
Water | Oral Answers
What About Bottled Water? The Confusing Truth
Most bottled water labeled “purified” (like Dasani or Aquafina) has no fluoride. Check the label—it’ll say something like “purified by reverse osmosis.” That means the fluoride is gone, gone, gone. But some brands, especially those marketed to kids, will brag about added fluoride because parents worry about cavities.
So the rule is simple: read the label like you’re reading a text from an ex—carefully, with suspicion, and possibly while sighing. If it says “added fluoride,” you’re getting it. If it says “purified” and nothing else, you’re not. Congratulations, you now know more than 90% of the population.
