Nine Things to Know About Topical Fluoride Treatment
You may have heard about fluoride. A professional dentist recommends using toothpaste with fluoride, and some mouth rinses use fluoride as an active ingredient.
This guide focuses on a specific type of fluoride not available for purchase at your grocery or drugstore, which is a professional fluoride treatment.
This type of fluoride treatment is topically applied and has prescription strength. Professional fluoride treatments are administered by a dentist and offer many benefits for your teeth.
Fluoride is a Mineral
Fluoride is found in water, soil, and rocks. Therefore, it appears in varying levels of groundwater. This is why some places will have too much fluoride in the drinking water, and others will have none.
Fluoride Treatments Done by Your Dentist are Worth the Cost
No matter the cost of topical fluoride treatments, the money is worth it. It’s, however, less expensive than the cost of repairing a cavity or tooth decay. Fluoride treatment done by your dentist is a preventative therapy that aids the body in fighting cavities naturally.
When one prevents tooth decay, they lower the money they’ll spend on dental care over their lifetime.
Fluoride Strengthens your Enamel Helping Fight Cavities
The teeth are in a battle between remineralization and demineralization.
Remineralization
Minerals Found in saliva remineralize and strengthens the enamel. Phosphate and calcium are the naturally occurring minerals in the saliva. These minerals work to remineralize your enamel.
Cavities or tooth decay occur when remineralization is less than demineralization. Fluoride helps increase the linearization process helping prevent cavities.
Demineralization
The bacteria found in the mouth produce acid by eating carbohydrates. This acid weakens the enamel and makes it softer, increasing its chances of decaying. This process is known as demineralization.
Fluoride Treatments help Reverse Small Cavities
A cavity starts when demineralization is more than remineralization. However, your dentist can stop early cavities by offering fluoride treatment and practicing proper oral hygiene at home.
Everyone would want to stop a cavity in its tracks. That’s why it’s better to prevent a cavity earlier than to allow it to grow to a point where it needs dental work.
Fluoride Treatments Near You are not for Children Only
Everyone is prone to cavities, not just kids. If you have a high risk for tooth decay, you should receive treatment from your dentist in Chester Springs regularly. In addition, if you struggle with dental hygiene, you will benefit from fluoride treatments.
This is because if you are an elderly patient, you won’t be able to remove plaque from your teeth effectively. This will increase the risk of cavities, and the only way to reduce it is by receiving fluoride treatment near you from your dentist at least twice a year.
Topical Fluoride Doesn’t Hurt
Your dentist offers fluoride treatments, the simplest form of treatment you’ll get in our dental office. Our dentist applies fluoride varnish to your teeth using a brush. So there’s no pain.
Topical Fluoride Don’t Stain Teeth
The stains that occur by using too much fluoride happens when the teeth are forming. For example, it occurs when a pregnant mom drinks water that contains too much fluoride. As a result, their baby’s teeth are affected and will have splotchy or dark brown on them.
Staining can’t occur after natural teeth are formed. This means treating your teeth with professional fluoride treatment will not be at risk for staining.
One can Drink and Eat after the Fluoride Treatment
You’ll have to wait for 30 minutes before drinking or eating anything to receive some professional fluoride treatments. However, fluoride varnishes stay on your tooth for some hours, and you won’t need to wait. One may drink or eat after our dentist for Chester Springs applies the fluoride varnish.
Getting Fluoride Treatment from Your Dentist is Safe
The fluoride dosage has been proven to be safe and effective. However, this dosage is unsafe if one uses it daily at home. Research shows that fluoride treatments from your dentist are effective and safe when received every three months.
However, there’s a risk depending on how much fluoride one takes. For example, if a child ingests too much fluoride, they might experience diarrhea, vomiting, or nausea. So if one uses fluoride as directed by their medical or dental professional that could be minimal.