Saturday, May 9, 2015

Basic Facts About Fluoride



Fluoride is a natural mineral. It exists naturally in all water supplies and even in some brands of bottled water.   
PHOTO ABOVE shows fluoride varnishing for people who are persistently prone to cavities.

For many years the recommended dose was 1 part per million in drinking water.

Recently, the recommended dose has been reduced to 0.7 parts per million. This provides the benefit of reducing cavities without causing minor fluorosis, small white specks on teeth.

Topical fluoride is applied to the teeth and absorbed into the enamel. This is found is toothpaste and mouth rinses, such as ACT or Listerine Fluoride Rinse.

At our dental office, we can apply topical varnish to children and adults. The varnish is applied with an applicator similar to a Q-tip and takes less than one minute. For patients that are cavity prone, we often prescribe a special toothpaste, Prevident 5000. This toothpaste will generally stop future decay.

Systemic fluoride is taken into the body through drinking fluoridated water, fluoride supplement, and even food and beverages. Fluoride is deposited into developing teeth and bones, to make them stronger.

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