The Benefits of Fluoride Treatments

The Benefits of Fluoride Treatments

Mar 03, 2021

Fluoride is a fundamental ore in your teeth and bones. Fluoride is usually located in water, soil, plants, rocks, and air. The use of fluoride is familiar in dentistry to strengthen the tooth enamel. The enamel is the solid external layer of your teeth. Fluoride is helpful for preventing cavities, and it is also added in small traces in public water supplies in the US and many other countries. The process is called water fluoridation.

Please continue reading to learn more about the benefits of fluoride and the controversy surrounding its safety.

The Use of Fluoride Explained

In humans, fluoride is primarily used to improve dental health. You can find fluoride in local water supplies and many over-the-counter products such as toothpaste, mouth rinses, and oral supplements. If you are prone to cavities, the dentist in San Pablo, CA, suggests using a prescription mouth rinse with fluoride to prevent the occurrence. Mouth rinses contain higher concentrations of fluoride than over-the-counter products. Fluoride is also useful in medical imaging scans, as cleaning agents, in pesticides, and in the production of Teflon, aluminum, and steel products.

The Benefits of Fluoride

Fluoride is beneficial for your teeth because it helps to re-mineralize weakened tooth enamel, slow the loss of minerals from tooth enamel, reverse early indications of tooth decay, and prevent harmful oral bacteria from growing.

When the microorganisms in your mouth breakdown carbohydrates and sugar, they produce acids that erode the tooth enamel. De mineralization is the name for the loss of minerals. The weakened tooth enamel increases the vulnerability of your teeth to bacteria causing cavities.

Fluoride helps to re-mineralize the tooth enamel to prevent cavities and reverse any early indications of tooth decay.

The CDC confirms that the average missing or decaying teeth in 12-year-old children in the US dropped by 68 percent from the late 60s until the early 90s. The drop resulted from expanding fluoridated water communities and the addition of fluoride to toothpaste and various dental products.

What Are the Potential Side Effects of Fluoride?

Fluoride, despite being a naturally occurring compound, can cause side effects when ingested in large doses. It can result in dental fluorosis, which happens when you consume too much fluoride during the developmental stages of your teeth. Fluorosis results in white spots on the surface of the teeth. Dental fluorosis, besides causing white spots, does not harm your teeth.

Children under eight are likely to be affected by fluorosis because they have their permanent teeth emerging. Children are also expected to swallow fluoride toothpaste containing more fluoride than fluoridated water. You can prevent your child’s risk of developing dental fluorosis by supervising them when brushing their teeth and ensuring they don’t swallow the toothpaste.

Another side effect of Fluoride Treatments near you is skeletal fluorosis which affects the bones instead of the teeth. Skeletal fluorosis results from long-term exposure to higher levels of fluoride in drinking water. Incidences of skeletal fluorosis are rare in the United States, but experts concluded it wasn’t likely due to swallowing toothpaste.

Is it Dangerous to Have Fluoridated Water?

Hundreds of studies from researchers globally looking at the safety of adding mild versions of fluoride to drinking water haven’t provided any evidence to suggest fluoride causes any health problems. Besides the soft case of dental fluorosis, fluoride does not cause any harm.

Controversy surrounds the adding of fluoride to drinking water, with some groups claiming it is harmful and others revealing that more high-quality research was required.

Not every city in the United States has water with fluoride added. However, suppose you are concerned about your dental health. In that case, you can try brushing your teeth twice a day for two minutes each with fluoride toothpaste, requesting fluoride treatment in San Pablo, CA, or using a fluoride mouthwash once a day.

Many dental products include fluoride, a naturally occurring mineral to strengthen tooth enamel and prevent cavities. Cavities are a chronic problem with children who are missing school due to painful conditions, needing expensive treatments for dental issues, and missing out on proper nourishment.

Fluoride helps to strengthen the tooth enamel to act as a barrier against cavities. Unless a child consumes excessive fluoride, they are unlikely to suffer the adverse effects of fluoride described earlier in this blog. Therefore, fluoride is indeed beneficial for children and adults prone to tooth decay and cavities.

Call Now Book Appointment