All The Facts About the Benefits of Fluoride!

Fluoride is a naturally-occurring mineral, that helps to prevent cavities by making enamel more resistant to the acid attacks that cause tooth decay.

How Does Fluoride Protect Teeth?

The “systemic” effect: The fluoride we take in our bodies from food and beverages starts to strengthen enamel of our teeth when they’re forming and before they even break through the gums and erupt into the mouth.

The “topical” effect: After teeth erupt, fluoride helps rebuild (remineralize) weakened tooth enamel and reverses early signs of tooth decay. When you brush your teeth with fluoride toothpaste, or use other fluoride dental products, the fluoride is applied directly to the surface of your teeth. Even the fluoride in food and beverages provides a topical effect because it becomes part of the saliva which bathes the teeth all day long!

How Do I Get Fluoride?

Drink Water with Fluoride: “Fluoride is naturally found in most all water sources, rivers, lakes, wells and even the oceans. For the past 70 years, fluoride has been added to public water supplies to bring fluoride levels up to the amount necessary to help prevent tooth decay.

Community water fluoridation is like drinking milk fortified with Vitamin D or eating bread and cereals enriched with folic acid. Before water fluoridation, children had about three times as many cavities.  Because of the important role it has played in the reduction of tooth decay, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has proclaimed community water fluoridation one of ten great public health achievements of the 20th century. Studies prove water fluoridation continues to help prevent tooth decay by at least 25% in children and adults, even with fluoride available from other sources, such as toothpaste.  Today, almost 75% of the U.S. population is served by fluoridated community water systems.”

Use Toothpaste and Mouthrinse with Fluoride: Look for one with the ADA Seal of Acceptance to make sure it contains fluoride. Brush twice daily (morning and night) with fluoride toothpaste. For children under 3 years, use a “smear” or less than the size of a grain of rice. For children 3-6 years, use a pea-sized amount. Remember to supervise your child’s brushing and make sure the toothpaste is kept in a safe place away from where children can access it alone. For children older than 6 years, they can start to use a fluoride mouthrinse after brushing and then spit it out. At this age they should have developed swallow reflexes.

Visit Your Dentist for a Professional Application: A dentist can professionally apply fluoride gel, foam or varnish to the teeth every 6 months at regular check-ups if you or your child are at high risk for tooth decay.

For more information and sources for our blog post, please visit https://www.mouthhealthy.org/en/az-topics/f/fluoride