The term Fluoride often comes up when you discuss dental oral care. It plays a significant role both in routine dental check-ups and specific dental treatments and is an important ingredient that you might find in toothpaste and mouthwash.

Before we delve into the Fluoride Treatment, let’s discuss the meaning and importance of fluoride.

Fluoride is a mineral that occurs in food and water. In the dental industry, dentists use the mineral to strengthen your teeth and reduce the risk of cavities. If used as suggested and properly, it can help prevent tooth decay. It helps to reverse early decay and remineralise the tooth enamel.

While fluoride in large quantities is harmful and can reach toxic levels in your body, the minimal amount present in over-the-counter products is harmless and does more good than bad.

How Does Fluoride Help?

Daily activities like eating, drinking and brushing make your teeth enamel lose or gain minerals depending on the type of foods and drinks you consume.

The process of losing minerals (which happens when you consume acidic and sugary foods) is called de-mineralisation. And your teeth gain minerals when you take foods containing fluoride, calcium and phosphate – it’s called remineralisation.

Tooth decay happens when there is a lot of demineralisation and not enough remineralisation.
Fluoride helps give back the lost minerals and prevents tooth decay. It makes the enamel resistant to acid attacks that happen in your mouth.

What Is Fluoride Treatment?

Fluoride treatment is the application of fluoride to your teeth. The process involves the external application of the fluoride in the form of foam, varnish or gel to the outer part of your teeth. It aims to combat demineralisation (which causes the spread of bacteria and plaque).

It can also be beneficial to combat, dry mouths, gum diseases, and tooth decay. It can be used as a preventative measure for those who have recently gotten crowns, braces or dentures (as these increase the risk of cavities).

You can purchase over-the-counter products that contain minimal fluoride content and use it daily in the form of toothpaste or mouthwash. However, if you need it in heavy concentration like tablets, then you need the doctor’s prescription.

The dentist first examines the amount of tooth decay and can use fluoride in the form of:

Foam: dispensing fluoride into a custom tray and placing it on your teeth
Varnish: applying directly on the tooth
Gel: painting on your teeth or dispensing in a custom tray.

The whole Treatment should take less than five minutes. And the treatment is suggested during your oral dental hygiene appointment.

Who Should Use Fluoride Treatment?

Infants from 6 months of age to teenagers of 16 years need an appropriate amount of fluoride. While it’s necessary to protect your teeth from decaying, you should use only the recommended amount to reap its benefits.

For children and toddlers, only a pea-sized amount is enough. And parents should take care that they are spitting out the toothpaste rather than swallowing it. Unless prescribed by a doctor, you should not use fluoride-containing mouthwashes for kids under the age of 6.

For adults, using the recommended amount or getting fluoride treatment will help fight against gum diseases, if you have a history of tooth decaying, or if you recently put crowns, bridges, or braces.

Any Side Effects of Fluoride:

Excessive usage of fluoride will result in fluorosis. It is tooth discolouration and people having it will develop spots on the teeth that can range from light to dark brown colour.

Fluorosis is a condition that develops if you consume well water with high fluoride content. Testing a sample will let you know the level of fluoride in water.

To combat fluorosis, the doctor will recommend treatments like dental bonding and porcelain veneers.

How Often Should you Consider Fluoride Treatment?

The frequency of the treatment depends on your oral hygiene. Normally, it should be done every six months, however, if you are prone to cavities, then you can get it more frequently.

Conclusion

Fluoride treatment is a treatment that helps protect your teeth from decaying. While using fluoride in large quantities is unsafe, the recommended amount is beneficial and will help you protect your gums and overall teeth. Talk to your doctor and use the prescribed amount so that you can reap the benefits of fluoride treatment.