Fluoride Helps Fight Cavities
Enamel is the hard outside layer of your teeth. Fluoride helps strengthen that enamel and helps protect you from cavities.
WHAT IS A CAVITY?
A cavity is a hole that develops in the tooth. Your teeth are coated with a layer of bacteria called plaque. The bacteria in plaque feed off of sugar in foods and beverages you eat and drink. They make acid that breaks down your tooth, causing the cavity to form.
HOW DOES FLUORIDE HELP?
The enamel on teeth that are developing beneath the gums gets stronger when children eat and drink foods and beverages with fluoride in them. Once teeth have erupted, the fluoride from foods and beverages can be carried in saliva to bathe teeth, strengthening them even more. Dental products that contain fluoride, like toothpastes and mouthrinses, also strengthen teeth and even help repair some cavities that are just starting to form.
WHAT ARE GOOD SOURCES OF FLUORIDE?
You can get fluoride from a number of sources, such as water, toothpaste, mouthrinses, and professional treatments from your dentist.
- WATER – Many cities and towns adjust the level of fluoride in the water to be ideal for fighting cavities (0.7 milligrams per liter of water). If the fluoride level in your area is low, your dentist may suggest fluoride supplements.
- TOOTHPASTE – Brush twice a day for 2 minutes with a fluoride toothpaste. Children 3 years and younger should use a smear of toothpaste the size of a grain of rice. Children older than 3 years and adults should use a drop of toothpaste the size of a pea.
- MOUTHRINSE – Check to see that it contains fluoride.
- TREATMENTS FROM YOUR DENTIST – Fluoride varnish, gel treatments and prescription toothpaste or mouthrinses are all treatments your dentist might offer. The toothpaste and mouthrinses have higher levels of fluoride than those you can buy at the store on your own.
Fluoride comes in many forms and is an important piece in preventing cavities or repairing them when they are just beginning to develop. Be sure to let us know if you are interested in learning more about how fluoride can benefit your oral health.
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