Prevention, prevention, prevention. Dental protection places plenty of give attention to avoiding oral well being issues — a lot in order that profit plans normally cowl routine checkups and cleanings at 100%.
There are two key causes for this give attention to prevention. First, common visits to the dentist will assist you to keep good oral well being and doubtlessly keep away from some points altogether. Second, within the occasion that you simply do have a dental drawback, your dentist can detect it early and start therapy that will help you keep away from extra expensive and sophisticated procedures down the street.
However a sensible preventive dental technique doesn’t start and finish at your dentist’s workplace. It additionally contains your each day routine at dwelling and different measures you’re taking to keep up a wholesome smile, which brings us to fluoride — an efficient strategy to stop cavities and care on your enamel.
What Is Fluoride and How Does It Assist?
Fluoride is a naturally occurring mineral that strengthens the arduous outer floor of your enamel often known as tooth enamel. It will probably even assist reverse early indicators of tooth decay. Right here’s the way it works:
- Your tooth enamel regularly thins over time, as acids from meals and drinks put on it down.
- Utilizing fluoride toothpaste and getting fluoride from different sources can assist rebuild (or “remineralize”) any weakened areas of tooth enamel. This makes your enamel extra proof against these cavity-causing acids.
- To successfully defend your enamel, fluoride toothpaste needs to be included as a part of your on a regular basis oral well being care.
Water fluoridation reduces tooth decay by greater than 25% for youngsters and adults. That is a giant distinction!1
Make Fluoride A part of Your Each day Routine
Whether or not you understand it or not, you’re probably defending your enamel and receiving fluoride from one of many sources beneath every day.
Cavity-Preventing Toothpaste
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You need to brush your enamel with fluoride toothpaste twice a day for 2 minutes every time.
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All toothpastes which have earned the American Dental Affiliation (ADA) Seal of Acceptance comprise fluoride. Meaning in case your toothpaste’s packaging contains the ADA seal, you’re defending your enamel with fluoride.
Straight From Your Faucet
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About 75% of neighborhood water programs add fluoride to their city’s water to assist stop tooth decay, which suggests water proper out of your faucet is probably going a terrific supply of fluoride.
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Why is fluoride in faucet water? As a result of it really works! Group water fluoridation has finished a lot to cut back tooth decay that it has been named one among 10 nice public well being achievements of the twentieth century.
95% of toothpaste bought in the USA accommodates fluoride.2
There are different methods to strengthen your enamel with fluoride, however they may not be a part of your each day routine. Different strategies embody:
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Mouthwash: If mouthwash is a part of your oral well being routine, you could find choices that embody fluoride. Nonetheless, it’s not beneficial for youngsters beneath the age of 6 to make use of mouthwash with out approval from their dentist.
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Dental visits: Adults and youngsters who’re at a excessive danger for cavities might have their dentist apply fluoride on to their enamel with a gel, foam, varnish, or rinse.
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Fluoride dietary supplements: Your dentist can provide you a prescription for a pill, drop, or lozenge that acts as a fluoride complement. That is sometimes finished for youngsters who may benefit from further fluoride, both as a result of they’re at greater danger of cavities or as a result of they don’t have entry to fluoridated water.
Fluoride and Defending Kids’s Smiles:
It’s necessary to oversee your kids as they brush their enamel to ensure they use the correct quantity of toothpaste and restrict the quantity they swallow. An excessive amount of fluoride might be dangerous to kids and enhance the danger of delicate fluorosis (tooth discoloration) whether it is overused. Right here’s how a lot toothpaste your kids needs to be utilizing:
- Ages 3 and beneath: Use an quantity the scale of a grain of rice of fluoride toothpaste
- Ages 3 and up: Use a small pea-sized quantity of fluoride toothpaste
