Why Fluoride Is Important to Your Dental Health

We’ve all heard of fluoride. Most toothpaste commercials mention that their products contain fluoride and the implication is that a toothpaste containing fluoride carries benefits to your dental health. But do you know why fluoride is so beneficial?

Let’s start by talking about what fluoride is. Fluoride is a mineral that exists in nature and is present to varying degrees in soil, food, water, and even air. Fluoride can also be added to substances to boost their content of this important mineral. Aside from toothpaste, mouthwashes and rinses, and the type of fluoride that you dentist may apply directly to your teeth, fluoride is also added to the water supply in many (but not all) municipalities. To find out whether your tap water is fluoridated in the community where you live, contact your town government and ask whether fluoride is added to the community water.

Fluoride is vital to your teeth because tooth enamel contains fluoride. It helps to keep the enamel hardened, or “mineralized,” protecting tooth surfaces from the acids that lead to decay. Not only does the application of or exposure to fluoride help keep teeth resistant to decay, it can actually lead to re-mineralization to damaged or weakened enamel. Children under the age of six can particularly benefit from fluoride, as it is an important component in the formation of enamel in developing teeth.

Using a toothpaste that contains fluoride and drinking fluoridated water only go so far. Regular visits to the dentist are important because your dentist can apply fluoride treatments as needed as part of a routine cleaning. The in-office fluoride applications are especially important for children. Your dentist will be able to tell you whether supplemental fluoride application is a part of your regular dental visits.

Since fluoride has been recognized as beneficial to dental health and made widely available, the incidence of tooth decay has seen a decrease worldwide. However, tooth decay is still the number one disease effecting children in the U.S. today. Of course, it is only one element of proper dental hygiene, but it plays an important role in the reduction of cavities.

If you have any questions about fluoride, ask your dentist for more information. He or she can explain its importance and recommend additional sources of the mineral in the form of prescription rinses if your access to fluoride is lacking. Dosage amounts are important as excessive amounts of fluoride can have ill effects on other aspects of your health, but most people are not exposed to amounts high enough to cause harm; the benefits far outweigh the negligible risk of overexposure.

While fluoride is a great way to help protect against cavities, it is only one facet of your dental health. Be sure to brush and floss daily and visit your dentist at least twice yearly for checkups and cleanings. Remember, good dental health goes a long way toward good health overall.