At Chrysanth Dental, we can’t overstate the importance of fluoride in protecting teeth and maintaining excellent oral health. This naturally occurring mineral found in soil, water, and foods plays a vital role in preventing tooth decay (dental caries) and strengthening the enamel that covers your teeth.
As dental professionals, we wholeheartedly recommend fluoride toothpaste, fluoride treatments at the dental office, and drinking fluoridated water as easy yet highly effective ways to reduce your risk of cavities and dental decay.
Let’s explore why fluoride is so crucial, how it works to prevent tooth decay, and the many benefits of making it part of your oral care routine.
What is Fluoride?
Fluoride is a natural element that has been shown through extensive scientific evidence to prevent cavities and tooth decay by strengthening tooth enamel and making it more resistant to acid attacks from plaque bacteria and sugary foods.
While fluoride is naturally occurring in water sources and certain foods, the levels are usually too low to provide maximum protective benefits for teeth. That’s why it’s important to get exposure through other sources as recommended by dental professionals and leading health authorities like the World Health Organization (WHO).
How Fluoride Prevents Tooth Decay
To understand how fluoride works, we first need to look at what causes cavities and tooth decay. Our mouths are full of bacteria that constantly form a sticky film called dental plaque on teeth. When we eat or drink anything with sugars or starches, the plaque bacteria produce acids that attack and demineralise the enamel.
This is where fluoride comes in. Fluoride has been shown to:
- Strengthen enamel before an acid attack to make it more resistant to demineralisation.
- Disrupt the acid production from plaque bacteria to prevent demineralisation.
- Accelerate remineralisation is the natural process by which tooth enamel is repaired and rebuilt.
In essence, fluoride helps strengthen the protective outer layer of enamel reverses early decay before a cavity can form, and drilling or other invasive dental treatment is required.
Benefits of Fluoride
The science is clear – making fluoride a part of your preventive dental routine provides outstanding benefits for your teeth at any age:
Baby Teeth: Fluoride protects and strengthens baby teeth, preventing cavities that can cause pain and affect the development of permanent adult teeth.
Children and Teens: During the years when permanent teeth are erupting, and enamel is still developing, adequate fluoride helps ensure strong, decay-resistant enamel forms.
Adults: Fluoride helps prevent cavities in adults’ permanent teeth, reducing the risk of painful tooth decay, costly fillings, and tooth loss over a lifetime.
For people of all ages, fluoride also:
- Reverses early enamel damage before a cavity forms
- Slows existing decay so cavities don’t become bigger problems
- Reduces plaque buildup and harmful oral bacteria
- Makes tooth enamel more resistant to acid attacks
- Supports remineralisation to rebuild weakened areas of teeth
Overall, fluoride is one of the most effective ways we have to prevent cavities, preserve tooth structure, and avoid the pain and expense of invasive dental treatment down the road.
Getting Enough Fluoride
So, how can you ensure you’re getting adequate fluoride for decay prevention and optimal dental health? We recommend focusing on three main sources:
- Fluoride Toothpaste and Mouth Rinses Using fluoride toothpaste approved by The British Dental Association (BDA) is one of the easiest ways to get a topical fluoride treatment twice per day when you brush. Many fluoride mouth rinses are also available over-the-counter. For children under 6, use only a pea-sized amount of toothpaste and supervise brushing to avoid swallowing.
- Fluoride Treatments at the Dental Office During your regular dental cleanings and check-ups, we can apply concentrated fluoride varnishes, gels, or foam that contains much higher levels of fluoride than toothpaste. These professional fluoride treatments help remineralise enamel and render it more decay-resistant.
- Fluoridated Water Drinking tap water that contains an optimal level of fluoride (0.7 milligrams per litre as recommended by the WHO) is one of the most effective and low-cost ways to prevent tooth decay over a lifetime. If your local water supplier does not add fluoride to community water supplies, we may recommend fluoride tablets or other fluoride supplements.
Too Much or Too Little Fluoride?
While fluoride is incredibly safe and effective when used properly, it’s important to get the right amount. Too little fluoride means missing out on its cavity-fighting benefits. However, getting too much fluoride during the teeth-forming years can potentially cause a cosmetic condition called dental fluorosis.
Mild fluorosis appears as faint white lines or streaks on the enamel, while severe overexposure can cause brown stains or pitting of the tooth surface. However, this condition is merely cosmetic and does not affect the health or function of teeth.
To avoid fluorosis while still ensuring adequate protection, we closely monitor children’s fluoride intake and may adjust supplemental sources if they are getting enough from water, toothpaste, foods, etc.
For most adults, there is very little risk of fluoride overexposure. We simply want to maximise the remineralisation and cavity prevention benefits of fluoride without exceeding the upper tolerable limits.
Fluoride is a Powerful Tool
At Chrysanth Dental, we consider fluoride one of the most valuable tools we have in our preventive dentistry toolbox for fighting cavities and maintaining healthy smiles for a lifetime. By combining topical fluoride from toothpaste, mouth rinses, and professional treatments with systemic fluoride from fluoridated drinking water or supplements, we can provide maximum protection against tooth decay and dental caries.
Of course, optimal oral health also requires great at-home care, like brushing twice per day, daily flossing, eating a tooth-friendly diet, and keeping up with regular dental cleanings and checkups. Ensuring adequate fluoride exposure throughout life is a cornerstone of our approach to helping patients develop strong, decay-resistant teeth.
Have more questions about fluoride and the dental products or treatments we offer? Don’t hesitate to ask any of our dental health professionals during your next visit! Promoting fluoride use and educating people on its importance is central to our mission of protecting teeth and improving overall dental health for our whole community.