Fluoride is found in nature, in water. Someone noticed that the teeth of people who drank said water were less subject to cavities than those who drank water with less fluoride.That's what I thought you were talking about but wasn't sure.
Polyfluoroalkyl Substances refers to the many fluoro or fluoride molecules that make up their forever chemicals.
When I did discovered what Teflon non stick pans were made of, I got rid of all of my cookware, replaced it with stainless steel and cast iron.
Industries put fluoride into the air to dispose of it. I know someone who used to smelt aluminum and that's what they did with it. There are others, like the fertilizer industries that sell their toxic waste by products to other industries that market their products as dental care drugs. It's dumped into most municipal water plants by the local governments.....nothing but toxic wastes.
PTFE (Teflon is a trademark) is completely harmless. It's used in implants in the body. Those implants are usually life saving. There are many other uses for PTFE that improve quality of life.
The amount of fluoride added to water or toothpaste is minuscule.
How do I know? I worked in industry for about 40 years. I sold PTFE products and dealt with water companies. If you knew how much PTFE was used in industry, you would have a fit.