5 Things to Know About Topical Fluoride Treatment

What Is Topical Fluoride Treatment?

Fluoride is a naturally occurring mineral, typically present in the foods you eat daily. It may be present in water and fish with bones, among other sources. This mineral in your mouth is necessary to protect teeth’ enamels, the outer layers of teeth.

Topical fluoride treatment near you entails products in the form of highly concentrated rinses, foams, gels, or varnishes. The products help remineralize your teeth’ enamel to better absorb nutrients necessary for sustaining strong and healthy teeth. Demineralization typically happens when acids and bacteria in your mouth attack teeth’ enamel, breaking it down to breach into the inner layers. Topical fluorides work by slowing down and reversing the demineralization process to manage your oral health.

In dentistry, you can consider getting two types of topical fluorides:

1. Self-applied topical fluorides – are available over-the-counter, featuring toothpaste, mouth rinses, and gels. The concentration levels of these topical fluorides are usually limited to account for safety. It may translate to less effectiveness in protecting your teeth from harmful acids and bacteria.
2. Professionally applied topical fluorides – are only available in dental offices. You need a dentist in 75189 to apply fluoride to your teeth and be in charge of the entire treatment protocol. Professionally applied topical fluorides incorporate higher-strength varnishes, gels, and pastes.

Why is Fluoride Treatment Necessary in Dentistry?

Fluoride treatment near you is a preventive dental care measure that can boost your oral health tremendously. People do not need fluoride treatment when they have oral problems. Instead, you need the treatment before you have any dental issues to avoid them.

Fluoride treatment is a necessary dental care measure as it helps build strong and healthy teeth. Besides, it increases teeth’ resistance to bacteria that cause dental infections like cavities. Dentists usually recommend getting the treatment every 3, 6, or 12 months. It depends on your oral health status. Some of the factors that may indicate your need for fluoride supplementation are:

1. Hypertensive teeth
2. Increased susceptibility to gum disease
3. Poor oral hygiene – leads to plaque and tartar buildup.
4. High risk of dental cavities
5. Early signs of cavity development

Five Things You Must Know About Fluoride Treatment

If you are to get fluoride treatment, prepare beforehand for your procedure by learning the following facts:

1. It can reverse dental cavities – dentists in 75189 have used fluoride treatments for patients with early signs of cavity developments severally. The result is that the treatment slows down and eventually reverses the cavity development process. It works since fluoride destroys all bacteria responsible for dental caries. However, it is only applicable during the early stages of cavity formation.
2. It cannot cure dental decay – while some cavities are reversible, fluoride is not a cure for dental decay. Decayed teeth need other forms of treatments like root canals, dental fillings, or tooth extractions.
3. Adults can benefit from the treatment too – over the years, people have believed that fluoride treatment is for children only since it is popular in pediatric dentistry. However, fluoride varnish for adults is just as effective as for children. The only difference is that adults may need the treatment for different reasons, including to overcome tooth sensitivity or combat wearing.
4. Fluoride can damage your teeth – too much of anything is harmful to your health. The same applies to fluoride treatment. Over-exposure to fluoride can cause various complications to your health, including toxicity that can lead to death. Therefore, we encourage you to visit us at Pleasure Dental for your treatment instead of administering it on your own at home. Besides, the results are much more effective when a dental professional does the treatment for you.
5. It is not effective on its own – fluoride treatment should not be your excuse to avoid other dental care measures like proper oral hygiene. By itself, the treatment cannot maintain excellent oral health. You must still keep up with other dental care measures like brushing teeth, flossing, eating well, and visiting your dentist regularly.

Summary

Getting fluoride treatment from a dentist near you should not be a big stretch or compromise. The process is quick and pain-free yet yields incredible benefits for your teeth and general oral health. Besides, isn’t prevention always better than cure?