Fluoride is found in your toothpaste and often in your tap water. Why is fluoride included in these important elements?
Fluoride is a natural mineral that occurs in a variety of foods and water. Fluoride protects teeth by reversing early tooth decay and making teeth more resistant to plaque, bacteria, and sugars in the mouth. These are common causes of cavities. Sugars, bacteria, and plaque on the teeth emit enamel destroying acid.
Is Fluoride Safe?
Some dentists and patients are skeptical of fluoride, thinking that it is dangerous to your health. Fluoride is completely safe to use and plays an essential part in good dental hygiene.
Fluoride is only dangerous when used in large quantities. Small children are more prone to the negative effects of fluorosis than adults. Fluorosis is the discoloration (usually white specks or brown streaks) of the teeth. This happens more in children because it is associated with teeth growth.
Many foods, water, and dental hygiene products have low dosages of fluoride. In fact, these levels are so low that they pose no health risk.
Fluoride is especially important for your patients between the ages of 6 and 16.
During this time, baby teeth are falling out and getting replaced with permanent teeth. Fluoride speeds up the remineralization of children's' permanent teeth and it blocks the distribution of acids on the teeth.
Why is Fluoride Important?
Your teeth are considered to be one of the strongest parts of your body. Your teeth, however, are not bone. The hard, white, shiny outside of the teeth is composed of calcified tissue called dentin. Like bone, dentin needs minerals to be strong, healthy, and prevent disease.
Every day your teeth lose and gain minerals. Fluoride is one of the minerals (calcium and phosphate are the other two) that remineralizes (deposits additional minerals to the teeth.)
Your jaws and teeth are either made of bone (jaw) and calcified tissue (teeth). Both of these require minerals to build them up, and keep them strong and resilient to breaking, cracking, and weakening.
Tooth decay and cavities occur when more minerals are lost during demineralization than the addition of minerals to the teeth (remineralization). naturally in many foods and water.
What is the remineralization and demineralization processes? Essential minerals, including fluoride, are added to the teeth to strengthen them. Demineralization occurs when the teeth are exposed to harmful, enamel destroying acid, which also depletes the essential minerals of teeth.
Fluoride, therefore, is essential to halting and preventing cavities from forming by adding more minerals to teeth as are being depleted by plaque and bacteria.
Where is Fluoride Found?
While you may think fluoride is found only in water, toothpaste, and mouthwash, you'd be surprised what other foods contain low levels of fluoride.
Below is a sampling of where you likely inadvertently consume fluoride on a regular day:
Foods
· Fruits
· Vegetables
· Meat
· Grains
· Milk
· Eggs
· Dried fruit
· Tea leaves
· Cocoa powder
· Walnuts
· Dried beans
Fluoride is found in many of the foods we eat. It is an essential mineral that your teeth need to replenish depleted much-needed minerals. Minerals help your teeth grow and get strong to avoid fracturing and being susceptible to the devastating effects of acids and cavities.
If you still have concerns about fluoride, you should talk to your dentist.