FluorideTreatments: Fluorine, Benefits, and Precautions

Fluorine is a naturally occurring mineral compound found in water and soil. It is also present in foods and beverages with different concentrations.Fluoride treatment is advisable since it provides three benefits to the teeth:

• It increases the resistance of the enamel.
• It is antibacterial since it acts against the growth of bacteria that produce tartar.
• It allows the enamel layer to be remineralized.

Fluoride Treatment Benefits Both Children And Adults, And This Is How It Does It:

The benefits of fluoride for the teeth are beyond doubt in oral health since it contains a composition that protects the enamel against bacteria's proliferation and allows its remineralization. However, caution must be exercised with this compound since an excess of fluoride can lead to stains on the teeth. For more hygiene care in Lethbridge, get in touch.

Without a doubt, it is in the infantile stage where fluoride is most necessary because the provisional dentition.The so-called milk teeth are in full formation and need fluoride to better protect them. Normally, at this stage, dental fluoride can be ingested until the child can use appropriate toothpaste for her age.

In adulthood, Fluoride treatments are still important to prevent cavities and eliminate tooth sensitivity in periodontal diseases. Fluorinated pastes or gels, mouthwashes, or topical applications are often used in the dental clinic. This is a dental treatment widely used in clinics for the remineralization of enamel and the prevention of tooth decay.

Why Is Fluoride So Important For Teeth?

It is shown that fluoride can reduce the appearance of cavities by more than 50%, but it is also beneficial for other aspects such as these:

• Before the teeth come in, through the gums, the fluoride that we take with food, drinks, and dietary supplements makes the tooth enamel stronger, facilitating resistance to cavities. We call this "systemic benefit."
• After the teeth come out, the fluoride remineralizes the enamel. When you brush your teeth with fluoride toothpaste or fluoride dental products, it is applied to the surface of the teeth. This is known as a "topical benefit."
• In addition, the fluoride that we consume in food and drink continues to provide a topical benefit because it becomes part of the saliva and helps to rebuild the enamel of weakened teeth.

Precautions To Consider

Although Fluoride treatment have advantages over our teeth, the contributions must be administered in a controlled and appropriate way. An excess of fluoride can have negative effects on our health. It can become toxic, causing the opposite effect to what we are looking for, and can significantly stain our teeth, which is known as fluorosis.

Dental fluorosis is the hypo mineralization of the enamel (defects of this) due to increased porosity due to excessive fluoride intake during tooth development. It appears at first with white spots in the mildest states and ends with a brown or greenish-gray color. In advanced stages, alterations in the shape of the tooth are observed as porosities.

How Do We Obtain Fluoride?

Fluoride Water: found in most water sources: rivers, lakes, wells, etc. In recent decades, fluoride has been added to public reserves, raising levels to optimal levels to prevent dental caries.

Fluoride Application By A Professional: If the chances of developing tooth decay are high, your dentist can apply

Fluoride Treatments: In the form of a gel or rinse on your teeth.

Fluoride Supplements: they are only recommended for children between six months and sixteen years old who live in areas where community water does not contain adequate fluoride amounts and are at risk of developing cavities.

What's fluorine for?

When fluoride is applied it reacts with the calcium in the enamel to form calcium fluoride. Once this chemical compound is formed, a demineralization process begins, inhibiting the production of acids by bacteria and effectively protecting against tooth decay.

Its main contribution is that it reduces the adhesion and aggregation of bacterial plaque to the teeth. Therefore, we can say that fluoride has an antibacterial action because it is one of its main functions.

Conclusion

If the professional recommends bouts of fluoride treatment, extra doses of fluoride will be administered. Therefore, it is advisable to visit our dentist every six months and have a general check-up. In this way, it will be easier to avoid cavities. So do not hesitate and stop by for hygiene care in Lethbridge today!