Fluorosis: When To Worry And When Not To Worry

Fluoride stands as one of the greatest dental health discoveries of all time, up there with the invention of Novocain and the development of fillings. By applying just a little fluoride to your teeth, either through fluoridated water, through the use of fluoridated toothpaste, or through special fluoride treatments at your local dentist, we can give our tooth enamel the chance to recrystallize and undo the damage caused by enamel-consuming bacteria. However, there is such a thing as too much fluoride, especially in the developing teeth of children.

The mildest form of fluorosis, caused by a slight overdose of fluorine, is actually fairly common. Too much fluoride can leave small white stains on teeth, especially on the teeth of children. However, this staining is nothing to worry about, as it has no effect on the tooth’s strength and the stains will usually disappear over time.

However, severe fluorosis is a much more damaging condition. If your teeth are exposed to far too much fluoride, especially during their development, they can develop ugly brown stains and even pits in the enamel. These pits aren’t actual cavities, but they can make it much easier for cavities to form.

Fortunately, it is extremely hard to develop severe fluorosis under most circumstances. If you drink nothing but fluoridated tap water throughout your entire life, if you always brush with fluoridated toothpaste two or three times each day, and if you always get the fluoride treatment when you visit your dentist every six months, then your teeth will still be completely free of pits and brown stains. The amount of fluoride you need to help your teeth is far, far below the amount of fluoride which will harm your teeth, and so it’s not you can stumble into by accident.

Instead, the only time you’re at risk of severe fluorosis is if a significant amount of fluoride seeps naturally into the groundwater thanks to fluorine mineral deposits. However, water treatment plants can remove excess fluoride as well as add it, and so you’re only likely to develop fluorosis today if you rely on a private well or spring in an area rich with fluorine minerals.

You may sometimes hear someone worry about the potential dangers associated with fluoride and wonder whether it’s really safe to add it to our water supply. But you can rest assured that, while fluorosis is a real condition, the danger of developing it accidentally is entirely nonexistent.