The second way to remove fluoride from your drinking water is by using an activated alumina cartridge. This type of fluoride water filter is smaller and sits on your counter top. It is also much less expensive than a reverse osmosis water filter.

Why would you want to remove fluoride from your drinking water? If you have children, they can develop dental fluorosis if they consume too much fluoride while their teeth are developing. Children are at risk for this condition up until they are eight years old. Most children with fluorosis have mild cases which appear as white spots and lines on the teeth that are not too noticeable. Severe cases are less common but these cases can have symptoms of pitted and cracked teeth that are stained brown or black.

Fluoride is also linked to a number of other ailments such as increased risk of cancer and possibly even Alzheimer's disease. Fluoride is actually a pollutant, being created as a by product of iron, copper and aluminum manufacturing. It has even been used as a rat poison and insecticide. Many think there is no clear link between fluoride and decreased dental cavities.

Whether you want to consume water with fluoride is a personal decision. But since most municipal water supplies in the United States have fluoride added, if you want to drink water without it, you will have to use a fluoride filter to get it out.

Boiling water will not remove fluoride, it only concentrates it. Fluoride cannot be removed through distillation either. You should know that bottled water may also have fluoride unless it states on the label it has been filtered using reverse osmosis.

Price may be a deciding factor when trying to choose between the two types of fluoride filters. Reverse osmosis water filters are much more expensive than activated alumina cartridges. Expect to spend a few hundred dollars for a reverse osmosis system while you can pick up an alumina cartridge for well under $100.

Consider also if you need other contaminants removed from your water. A high quality reverse osmosis system can remove chlorine and E-coli along with many other impurities. Become aware of all of your choices before selecting your water filtration system. Water filters have their advantages and disadvantages, which you choose depends a lot upon the source of your drinking water.