Why We Use Fluoride in Our Family Dentistry Office

In our family dentistry office, Smiles by Julia, we use fluoride on a regular basis.  You may be familiar with the term since it is found in many toothpastes.  Fluoride plays an important role in preventative dental care because it has the ability to strengthen teeth and decrease the risk of getting cavities by 30 percent.  This is significant when you consider that according to the CDC, tooth decay (cavities) are the number one infectious disease impacting children in the country.  In fact, cavities lead to more missed school days than any other illness.  Understanding how a toothache can be extremely uncomfortable, we use fluoride as a way to prevent the condition. 

There are two main ways that you can receive fluoride.  One is to visit our office for a fluoride treatment, and the other is to drink public water.  Over 10,000 communities across the U.S. have fluoride placed into their water.  This has been proven to be a safe and effective way of administering fluoride and preventing cavities.  If you are unsure if you have fluoride in your water, call your local water department.  If you are not drinking it, it becomes even more important to have a treatment in our dental office.

When you bring your children into our family dentistry office, Smiles by Julia, we will typically recommend that they have a fluoride treatment and routinely administer this until they are in their late teenage years.  Applying a fluoride varnish is easy, fast, and convenient.  It doesn't smell bad or have much of a taste, so children don't mind the procedure.  Simultaneously, it only takes around four to five minutes so we can do this at the same appointment they have their teeth examined or cleaned.  This makes it incredibly convenient for your children to receive the fluoride they need in order to have healthy and strong teeth.

What it does for you.

Fluoride helps to remineralize the teeth.  The enamel on the teeth can absorb the fluoride so that as demineralization and erosion start to occur, the fluoride can combat this so that your teeth can remain strong.  While simple, this is an important task and can help to prevent tooth sensitivity, in general. As an adult, you can use a toothpaste containing fluoride for this very purpose.  Many people report that their teeth feel less sensitive when eating if they brush with this type of toothpaste two to three times a day.  The results are less significant than drinking fluoridated water or having a professional treatment but can still benefit your teeth.

Receiving a professional fluoride treatment at our family dentistry office, Smiles by Julia, can help to stop tooth decay in its tracks. In essence, when the tooth decay begins, fluoride can stop and reverse the damage before a full cavity develops.  In this way, you and your children may not realize that cavities are starting.  Statistically three out of ten cavities that you could get, would be stopped with fluoride treatments.  To learn more, call and schedule a dental exam.

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