Possible damage using flouride free toothpaste?

Issue
An alternative health herbalist / iridoligist recommended that I use flouride free toothpaste. I don't want to ask my dentist about this, because I don't want him to know I went to the herbalist. I want to switch to flouride free, but I don't know the worst case scenario if I do so. Is flouride a toxin, as I have heard?

Best Tip

Im a dentist, and you can use the non flouride toothpaste. You will be fine. It will not harm you.
You wont be ingesting it so it wont really enter your body, just like regular flouridated toothpaste, you dont swallow it so it wont be in your blood streem. (yes all things enter us at a microscopic level) but you will get more flouride in drinking a glass of water.
As for flouride being a toxin, yes it can be like all things in this world too much can kill you, but you would have to injest the whole tube to have a toxic level and your stomach would probably throw it up so you may not get to that toxic level.
As for why flouride is good for your teeth, and why it is in toothpaste (and very low levels in toothpaste) it help rebuild the enamel matrix of your teeth, only if a small amount is destroyed when it gets too big then you have a cavity and need a filling. (this is the simply explanation).
As for all the talk of flouride and its toxicicity is usually is either discussed in accidental swallowing of a tube of toothpaste by children or by some people that they belive there is too much in drinking water. There has been no studys linking it to any diseses but like all things give it time and science it will be a problem and will be bad one year then fine the next. But data has shown that there are ALOT less cavities since the start of flouride in the water, so you really should be very happy with it in the water. Cavities went from half the mouth with cavities to 1-2 teeth with cavities, as a doctor im happy to see healthy teeth due to flouridated water, but if there was no flouride in the water there would be not enought dentists to handle all the cavities. Source(s): Im a dentist

Others
I have mixed feelings about it and I want to spit it out as soon as possible. I use it because it costs 97 cents as opposed the $5.64 non-flouride brand in the health food store.

I'm not really sure about the benefits vs. harmful effects.

Oh, for sure don't tell your dentist.
Fluoride is not a "toxin". It will only be bad if you swallow too much. We actually need to ingest trace amounts fo fluoride...it's in spinach, beer, and other things. As a dental assistant, I've encountered a few people who started using fluoride-free toothpaste, and got more cavities as a result. Fluoride forms a harder material in your enamel, and can remineralize compromised enamel.
As long as you aren't swallowing it, it's better to use fluoride toothpaste.
I'm a dental asssistant
Fluoride, CAN infact be a 'toxin' if ingested, in high amounts. Fact is, there is fluoride in your water. Well, unless you drink 'well water'. The city, has a 'required' amount of fluoride, added to the water. So no, you dont have to use fluoride toothpaste. And your dentist, would NOT be offended or insulted if you asked about it. He could also give you ideas of where you could get this treatment, without it being in your toothpaste. Dont be scared to asked. He's there to help you not scare or threathen you.

Plain and simple, there are other ways of getting the recommended amounts of fluoride into your system, without using fluroide toothpaste.
Applied Science Degree of Dental Technology
Dental Tech~ 14 yrs.