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[leendstaa]

I'm getting ready to move from NY to Hokkaido. I've heard that the japanese tap water can cause tooth decay and hair loss.

Is this true?
Is it a problem in Hokkaido?
What can be done to prevent this?

Thanks a million!

[Glenski]

Cause such problems? Hardly. What outrageous source gave you this information? I've lived in Sapporo for over 7 years and haven't experienced any problems like that. The population here seems to have a normal complement of hair and teeth, too, much like the rest of the country.

You will find that tap water in Japan has far less fluoride, if any, and many people erroneously claim that Japanese toothpaste itself contains none. In fact, there are many brands that do, and it can be as clearly labeled as MFP, or you may have to search for the katakana lettering フッ (read as the character "fu" plus the small "tsu", for those of you who can't see the katakana here). Lion brand is a good one for fluoride (although not all Lion toothpastes contain it, so read carefully.) A couple of western brands of toothpaste are available, if you prefer them to the Japanese brands.

[Marika]

I know how you felt because before I left for Japan I was terrified as well with my teeth decaying. So sue me we all have our own quirks. When I got to Kyushu ...wow....I've never seen such bad teeth in my life. Now how the british got such a bad rap and it seems to be only them you hear of I don't know. I loved Japan, I love my time there...everything was fantastic so I'm not slamming anything else here but the teeth. I was shocked when I went into teach and saw 3 and 4 year olds teeth rotting away some of their front teeth completely black.
I did some traveling, not a lot but did notice the same general thing happening.
I had my mom send me tootpaste from home and when my year was up and I left my teeth were as white and shiney as they ever where.
I can't tell you if all if Japan is like that. Although I can tell you about Kyshu and all the Japanese tourists I work with here back in Canada now. I'm sure there are many Japanese people with beautiful white, shiney teeth over there.

[Apsara]

I agree with Glenski- it isn't what is IN the water that causes people's teeth to decay, it's what ISN'T in the water, i.e. fluoride- the Japanese government made the decision not to add it and hasn't changed its mind yet.

Another reason people's teeth seem bad here is that there just isn't the cultural emphasis on perfectly straight, white teeth that there is in many Western countries, although this is starting to change. It's only recently that braces have become common, for example. It's not quite such a social handicap to have yellowish buck teeth here as it is at home, they just don't care about it so much.

You grew up in an area with fluoridated water, therefore your teeth are perfectly safe. I've lived here 7 years and mine haven't suffered- I use brands of toothpaste like Colgate and Aquafresh which are easy to find here (the taste of Japanese toothpaste brands is a bit different and I've never got used to it.) I also go to an American trained dentist because he will complete the treatment in one visit , whereas Japanese dentists tend to stretch out treatment over several visits, which I don't like the idea of.

Tooth decay is caused by bacteria and food residue, not water.

As for hair, different mineral contents mean the water may be softer or harder than you are used to, but it won't make your hair fall out- if that happens it could be caused by diet, pollution or stress, not by the water. How many bald Japanese have you seen? Everyone I know here, with the exception of some middle-aged and elderly men, has a full head of hair.

I think you could probably cross those two off your list of worries

[pnksweater]

I agree with the lack of floride and lack of emphasis on picket straight teeth... but I'm still not convinced about the hair thing. Every time I've moved to Tokyo I do lose a lot of my hair. Many long term female expats complain of hair loss as well. Stress, diet, water... I don't know but it sure does something. As for the full heads of hair, I disagree. I've noticed many women with thin hair. Sure the individual hairs may be thicker, as Japanese hair tends to be, but the amount of it is not always so plentiful.

[Brooks]

my wife has lost some of her hair.
I wonder if it is due to the stress of working in Tokyo.

[Gordon]

[Brooks]

no, it had started when she lived in Osaka.
Maybe it is just big city life. Who knows.

I have been bald for over a decade. That`s just genetics.

[Zzonkmiles]

Many Japanese smoke cigarettes too. That doesn't help the teeth. Many Japanese also have stained or discolored teeth because of all the tea they drink.

While you are still in the US, I STRONGLY recommend that you get a box of your favorite toothpaste together and mail it to Japan. You'll have a hard time finding toothpaste with fluoride here.

As for the hair, I cut my hair myself. Saves money.

[madeira]

I certainly noticed increased hair loss when I came here. Nevermind going from straight hair that needed 'full-body' shampoo to curly, dry hair that needs heavy conditioner, treatment and hair cream.

The air and water are completely different from home, and there certainly isn't near as much pollution there. So, environmental stress is higher. Maybe that's it, I don't know.

It slowed down after the first 6 months or so, if that helps.

[freddie's friend daniel]

Re: Teeth

I was sitting opposite a mother and small kid the other day on a train. About 10 minutes into the train journey, the mother asked the kid if he wanted some sweets. The 4- or 5 year-old replied (big surprise) that he would indeed be delighted to partake of some carbohydrate-rich between-meal sustenance (or something to that effect) and she gave him a big chewy caramel that he could barely fit in his mouth. Somehow he managed to get rid of that after a few minutes (I was seriously sitting there contemplating on whether or not I would be able to help out with the Heimlich manoeuver should the train stop suddenly) and then the mother produced a bag of kompeito candy. These she fed one after the other to her son. She was literally pushing them into his mouth at one stage when he had more or less lost interest. The bag was gomi by the time we reached our common destination.
On my way back I was standing beside another mother-and-kid combo and it was the same story. This mother had a big goodie-bag for the daughter who was maybe about 2 years-old and, for the duration of the journey, this kid did nothing but pop sweeties and drink juice. Is it any wonder their teeth suffer, with or without flouride in the water/ toothpaste?

Re: Hair
Have to agree with Pnksweater on this one- older Japanese women tend to suffer from severe thinning of the hair and you can regularly see ads on TV and in magazines for hairpieces or even "spray-on hair" to combat this.

[Revenant]

Let me clear up some things for folks.

Japanese tend to not care about children's Baby teeth in the way that they do in the west.

Dentists that make kindergarten visits actually put a substance on the teeth of children at that age to accellerate the decay of the baby teeth so that the adult teeth can come in with less complications (as they see it).

Some adults in their mid to late 30's and higher have discoloration of their teeth at the gum line due to another dentist practice that has since faded out of use. It is not due to lack of flouride in the water.

So the main factors people are using to report of "bad teeth" are again not related to the flouride usage of people in Japan. (Ya'll are nuts if you think flouride is the catchall for good teeth anyhow).

As for the flouride, I hate to break it to folks but even in the US there are MANY places that do not put flouride in the water. Most people on small community water systems, well water, etc don't have flouride added as well.

As for hairloss, the are a few things to tak into consideration that make it seem that to be the case but are not.

1. General ages of people (23-30) who end up going to Japan to teach etc is the common age by which natural hair loss begins (male pattern baldness etc).

2. Oil build up in the base of the folicles leads to some types(if not all) hair loss. Due to the lifestyle change in general of folks that come to Japan, their own hygiene habits change as well.

[Sour Grape]

[Glenski]

[Sherri]

I always found the care for children's teeth pretty good in Japan (at least up to age 3). My kids' teeth were always checked and commented on in the regular check ups. And the doctor discussed the care of their teeth with me. It was a big deal and there is a little picture of the mouth and teeth in the boshi-techo (mother and child handbook) where they keep track of teeth and their condition. When my daughter went to pre-school they all had to brush their teeth after lunch. I suspect the moms giving their kids sweets on the train was because they thought if they kept the kid's mouth full of candy there would be less chance of a melt down.

In the nearly 14 years in lived in Japan I managed to avoid Japanese dentists and always used western toothpaste brands. The Japanese students I have here in Hawaii usually advise newcomers to bring Japanese toothpaste. It is just what you are used to and what you like. My husband likes this awful toothpaste that is made with SALT!
Regards
Sherri