Fluoride is a naturally-occurring mineral that can be a tooth’s best friend. It makes the enamel nice and strong, helps teeth better fight off the acid attacks that cause cavities and can reverse tooth decay when it’s in its very early stages. At your child’s regular hygiene appointments, which are typically scheduled twice a year, we apply a fluoride treatment to give their enamel a boost. If your child has a higher risk for cavities, the dentist may recommend them more frequently. The treatments are safe, simple and come in varnish, foam and gel form.
Benefits of Fluoride Treatments
The treatments can reduce the risk of tooth decay by strengthening enamel and helping teeth ward off cavity-causing acid attacks.
Fluoride may reverse tooth decay in its early stages by building up weak areas of the tooth enamel through remineralization.
In children whose teeth are still erupting, the fluoride gets incorporated into their permanent teeth for long-term benefits.
Healthy, Strong Teeth
While fluoride is often found in tap water, more and more kids are turning to bottled water, which doesn’t usually contain optimal levels of the mineral. In the correct dose, fluoride is perfectly safe and when combined with excellent oral hygiene and a healthy diet, it’s very effective in preventing cavities by strengthening the enamel, particularly in children whose teeth are still developing. Following cleanings, we apply it using tasty gel or foam in a fluoride tray or, more commonly, we paint on a varnish, since it’s a much speedier, well-tolerated process.
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Water fluoridation currently reduces tooth decay by 20-40% and is considered one of the greatest public health achievements.
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Tooth decay is five times as common as asthma in kids and seven times as common as hay fever in five- to 17-year-olds.
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Kids over six-months-old may need fluoride supplements if they don’t get enough from their drinking water.
