Fluoride In Water And Your Teeth

We can find fluoride in many things you may not expect including some foods and our water. The ADA has found that an appropriate level of fluoride in water actually prevents tooth decay by 25{3b0f9398becb40f4bdd8fe95c600d2c252c33730296b97da1b334948809cb5c4} in all people, including children and adults. Consider that when you come visit us at Community Dental Group we may provide you with a fluoride treatment here, that is a little more intense and very few people’s favorite part of the visit but it is to protect the health of your teeth. Now, adding a little bit of fluoride at a time to strengthen teeth and prevent cavities is even better and available to all people just by drinking water.

Positives Of Drinking Fluoride Water

We think it is fairly clear that the dental industry has deemed fluoride an important and useful part of oral care. What it does exactly is a little more intricate than just saying “it helps your teeth.” Fluoride actually provides a protective service to the surface of your tooth, strengthening them and promoting the growth of enamel that has been damaged during your day. This is why there is frequently fluoride in toothpaste and rinses you have at home. You are painting a protective layer on your tooth to help with reenamelization. Instead of the acids that form from the food you eat being able to eat away at your tooth’s enamel, the fluoride is there to protect it.

Concerns With Too Much Fluoride

With all things there is an excessive point. With fluoride, this level of “too much” is actually dependent on the person. Depending on decay that has already occurred, age and growth there is an optimal level of fluoride that varies for each person. When you are maintaining that optimal intake you are giving yourself that chance at extra protection. When it get above that level is when we can run into some problems.

Fluorosis is a term you have possibly heard thrown around or seen on other people’s teeth. It is a change or discoloration of the tooth’s enamel. It creates white flecks and stains in the damaged and grooved parts of the enamel. This tends to be specific to the developmental stages of the teeth, affecting children and teens mostly. It occurs when the fluoride is taken in over an extended period of time and the teeth are growing in.

There has been a slight increase in teen cases of fluorosis leading health services to lower the level of fluoride in the water, however only by a small margin. The other issue we run into with developing teeth is when kids swallow the toothpaste, it adds a spike in their fluoride intake that can put them over that optimal level. However, if a child is following the dental health regimen we prescribe they will be taking in just the right amount of fluoride to help their teeth stay strong.