Child watching a timer during a fluoride treatment/©Adobe Stock
Fluoride can be beneficial in the formation of human teeth and helps prevent cavities. Many cities across the United States add fluoride to their public water supplies to reduce tooth decay among their population. However, fluoride is safe only if it is consumed in appropriate amounts. If your well water has too little or too much fluoride, it could cause dental issues for your family.
What are the effects of fluoride in well water?
If you have too low of a level of fluoride in your well water, your family, especially children, are at risk of having an increased risk of tooth decay and other dental problems. If levels are too high, it can cause discoloration or damage to teeth.
When should I test for fluoride in my well water?
Testing your water is the only way to know what the fluoride levels in your well water are. According to the Minnesota Department of Health's Well Owners Handbook, the optimal level of fluoride is around 1.5 milligrams per liter (mg/l), and the USEPA recommends removing fluoride if greater than 2.0 milligrams per liter (mg/l). Providing fluoride test results to your dentist will allow them to determine whether or not children or adolescents should be using fluoride supplements.
To ensure you are protecting your family’s health, we have developed a set of recommendations for testing that are provided in our article, "What do I need to know about sampling my well water?" , that includes fluoride. When testing your well water you will very rarely be testing for only one thing — like fluoride — and instead testing for a suite of constituents that are important to identify if in your drinking water.
What treatment should I use if there is too much fluoride in my well water?
How do I remove fluoride from my water?
Once you test and have decided to treat your water to remove fluoride, the Minnesota Department of Health has developed a Home Water Treatment Guide that covers treatment for any common constituent in well water. The most important advice we can provide you is if you are going to add treatment to your home water system, be sure the treatment device has been certified to remove iron by an independent third-party certification organization.
Where can I get local help and information about fluoride in my well water?
Contact your dentist- They will be able to provide advice on your specific dental concerns.
Contact your local health department – They can help you interpret your sample results and may have information on the best treatment options for your situation. If they personally aren’t able to answer your questions, they will know who to contact who will be able to help you, likely at your state health department.
Contact a water treatment professional – We would recommend contacting a water treatment professional who has been certified through the Water Quality Association’s Professional Certification Program.
State or Federal Geologic or Water Resource Agency – They may have completed field studies of your area or collected samples from water wells to map and understand the water quality in your state. In addition, they may house water well logs, including yours, or be able to provide additional information about the aquifer your well is getting water from.
Consult your well driller or drilling contractor – The contractor that drilled your well, and other local contractors, may be aware of the water quality issues nearby including fluoride levels, and might have worked with other well owners in your area to solve this issue.
Research online – You should be inquisitive; it will help you significantly because there can be great information available online. Use search terms like “my state (CA, ME, IL, etc.) water well logs,” “my state groundwater quality,” or “my state well water quality.”
Contact us directly – If these other local sources don’t work out for you, we may be able to help. We may be able to provide direct assistance, and/or direct you to a technical assistance provider in your area who can help answer your questions (This is a free service funded by USEPA).
Additional Resources:
Well Owner’s Handbook, Environmental Health Division, Minnesota Department of Health.
Want to learn more about your private well and how to care for it?
Sign up for the free 10-week email course from PrivateWellClass.org. The class is a project of RCAP and the University of Illinois, with funding from USEPA.
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