Beginner's Guide: How to Protect Your Smile Using Fluoride Treatment

From when they pop out, your teeth have to survive the onslaught of daily erosion from food and bacteria. Even though the teeth are coated with the hardest substance in the body (enamel), they need the extra boost for them to last your entire lifetime.

Instead of coming to see our dentist, Dr. Freddy Mezquia, for root canals or extractions, you can err on the side of caution and come in for preventive dentistry. This is why there is fluoride treatment.

Cavities have been a significant concern for a long time until the government decided to add fluoride in drinking water. However, our government’s intervention didn’t help as expected.

Therefore, the need arose for fluoride treatment that can help keep your smile cavity-free. Let’s peer a little deeper to know more about fluoride and its benefits.

Fluoride Treatment 101

Most probably, you interact with fluoride each day, and you might not even know it. It is present in water and many foods.

When you eat, your teeth lose some minerals from your tooth’s outer layer (enamel). This happens because of acids that are brought about by sugars and plaque, which attack the enamel.

The same minerals (fluoride, phosphate, and calcium) are redeposited when you consume food and water.

Tooth decay typically occurs when there is a lot of mineral loss, and there isn’t enough remineralization to repair your tooth’s enamel.

This is where fluoride comes in because it makes the tooth more resistant to acid attacks. Fluoride can also be used to reverse the effects of early decay.

Who Needs Fluoride the Most?

For obvious reasons, infants and children under 16 years need fluoride because this is the time when the permanent teeth are being formed. This doesn’t mean that adults do not need fluoride. Topical fluoride that we get from using toothpaste and mouth rinses helps fight bacteria and strengthen your teeth.

However, some people might be at an elevated risk of getting cavities than others due to preexisting conditions and might benefit from the treatment. This includes people who have:

• Periodontal disease. This is also called gum disease and can expose your roots to bacteria, thus increasing your chances of getting tooth decay.
• Dry mouth conditions. It can be caused by medications or diseases and can make one susceptible to tooth decay.
• Presence of braces, crowns or bridges. You can be at risk of getting cavities because of difficulty cleaning around the brackets or where the crown and the underlying tooth meet.

What Forms of Fluoride Are Available?

As you know by now, fluoride is present in water and various foods. You can also apply fluoride directly on your teeth through toothpaste and mouth rinses that contain fluoride.

Our dentist in Ocoee can also apply fluoride to your teeth as a varnish, foam, or gel. The amount of fluoride is higher than in mouth rinses and toothpaste.

Our dentist can also prescribe fluoride supplements that are available in tablet or liquid form.

How Does Fluoride Treatment Work?

Typically, fluoride works in the following ways:

• Topical Fluoride

In this method, fluoride seeps into your tooth enamel and strengthens your erupted teeth making them more resistant to tooth decay. This type of fluoride is found in toothpaste and mouth rinses.

• Systemic Fluoride

This type of fluoride strengthens your erupted teeth as well as the ones developing in the gums. We get systemic fluoride from the food we eat and the water we drink. There are also fluoride drops that are recommended for infants and can only be prescribed by our dentist.

Benefits

Most people have dismissed the importance of preventive dentistry, and kids are normally seen as the ideal candidates. However, you can start practicing healthy oral hygiene. Look at some of the benefits of using this treatment:

• Reverses the damage caused by acids by putting minerals back in your teeth
• Protects your tooth enamel from being corroded by acid
• Prevents tooth decay and cavities by strengthening your tooth enamel
• Since it is a naturally occurring substance, it provides a natural way of preventing tooth decay
• You will save a lot of money because there will be no need for root canals and extractions or other restoration procedures that are needed after your teeth get damaged

You can prevent a host of issues from cavities to periodontal diseases by using fluoride treatment available at Smiles of Ocoee. Call us today.