How Does Fluoride Protect against Tooth Decay?

How Does Fluoride Protect against Tooth Decay?

Mar 01, 2023

Your oral and overall health depend on your dental hygiene practices for appropriate well-being. It is a reality recognized by nature, working as a soldier in a battle against cavities in your teeth. For example, fluoride, a naturally occurring mineral, helps prevent tooth decay without your knowledge by making the tooth enamel more resistant to cavities.

You can receive fluoride from community water, the toothpaste you use twice daily, and your diet. However, you benefit immensely when you receive fluoride treatments at six monthly intervals from the dentist near you when they examine and clean your teeth and also provide an in-office fluoride treatment to enhance your protection against tooth decay that eventually leads to holes developing in your teeth.

Although you can receive fluoride from the toothpaste you use, your diet, and community water, the ADA and the CDC suggest getting in-office fluoride treatment in Houston, TX, at intervals determined by the dentist after considering your risk of cavities to help avoid severe infections in the mouth.

What Is Fluoride Treatment?

Generally, fluoride treatments are professional therapies offered by dentists using highly concentrated fluoride applied to patient’s teeth to enhance teeth health and inhibit the risk of cavities. In-office fluoride treatments by dentists are in the form of solutions, gel, foam, and varnish. In addition, you can find some concentrated versions of fluoride treatments for home use. However, it is suggested that you use such products only after a recommendation from your dentist.

The fluoride content in professional treatments is similar to the fluoride in toothpaste. However, dentists apply higher doses of fluoride, offering instant benefits.

What Are the Benefits of Fluoride Treatment?

Fluoride offers many benefits for your teeth when making them resistant to the risk of cavities. Some of them are mentioned below for your reference.

Fluoride helps your body better use minerals such as calcium and phosphate because your teeth use the minerals to repair weakened enamel. In addition, fluoride joins into the tooth structure in children with developing teeth strengthening their enamel to make them less vulnerable to bacteria in cavities forever. Finally, fluoride can slow or reverse early decay by harming your mouth bacteria responsible for cavity development.

When the benefits of fluoride treatments are combined, they help reduce and slow cavity development, delay needing expensive dental work, extend the life of baby teeth, and reduce the time and money you spend at your dentist’s office for various treatments. Additionally, when you prevent cavities by showing the growth of bacteria in the mouth using fluoride treatments, you also benefit by avoiding gum disease, reducing tooth pain in preventing premature loss of teeth.

The WHO confirms fluoride treatments help improve oral health, a significant visionary of overall health. Poor oral health can result in many other health conditions, including respiratory disease, cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, and cancer, needing treatments from different medical professionals instead of your dentist.

Are There Any Side Effects of Fluoride Treatments?

Fluoride easements are entirely safe even for children and provided in the recommended doses ensuring children do not ingest too much fluoride by swallowing toothpaste or using fluoride mouthwashes. Children from birth until eight can develop fluorosis discoloring their teeth, making them appear as if they have just received treatment from orthodontics in Houston to correct orthodontic issues that generally leave spots on the teeth after removing the brackets.

Fluorosis is a common issue with children causing white streaks on the teeth. Fluorosis occurs because young children consume too much fluoride by taking fluoride supplements and swallowing toothpaste. Fluoride can also be toxic if the treatment is misapplied or in doses not recommended by the American Dental Association.

Fluoride Treatments Effectiveness

Gold-standard scientific studies establish the effectiveness of topical fluoride treatments in preventing tooth decay. In addition, the study stated that fluoride varnish substantially prevents tooth decay and cavities in primary and permanent teeth.

Fluoride therapies from dentists are safe for most. People experiencing side effects can rest assured they are usually minimal compared to the benefits. Any harm they might suffer is merely aesthetic by swallowing excessive quantities of fluoride. However, it doesn’t indicate that fluoride treatments are safe for everyone. Therefore if you are at high risk of cavities, you must discuss your concerns with the dentist nearby before receiving fluoride treatment to protect your tooth enamel.

If you are concerned about cavities on your or your family member’s teeth, Oasis Modern Dentistry & Orthodontics — Implant Dentistry & Periodontics provides in-office fluoride treatments to help strengthen tooth enamel. Consult the practice today to arrange an appointment for a fluoride treatment to take advantage of its benefits.

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