Fluoride, a natural mineral, has been used in dentistry for many years because it helps prevent tooth decay in children and adults by making the enamel of our teeth more resistant to acid attacks that cause tooth decay.
How Does Fluoride Protect Teeth?
Fluorides are beneficial for both children and adults. Let's explain how fluorides benefit:
Fluoride taken from food, beverages and supplements in infancy, before the teeth emerge, structurally joins the enamel of the teeth and strengthens the tooth enamel in a "systemic" way.
Teeth mouth. Once applied inside, fluorides help strengthen areas of weakened enamel (remineralization) and reverse early signs of tooth decay. When you brush your teeth with toothpastes containing fluoride or use other oral and dental health products containing fluoride, fluoride comes into contact with the tooth surface and provides “topical” benefits.
From Which Sources Can I Get Fluoride?
Drinking Water with Added Fluoride.
Fluorides are naturally found at low levels in all water sources, lakes, well water and even oceans. Over the past 70 years, in many countries, primarily in the United States, fluoride has been added to public water supplies to raise fluoride levels to amounts sufficient to prevent tooth decay.
Adding fluoride to public drinking water; It is a practice similar to consuming milk fortified with vitamin D or breads or cereals with added folic acid. It has been reported that in countries where fluoride is added to drinking water, children have three times more tooth decay than in the past when fluoride was not added to the water. Because of this important role it plays in reducing tooth decay, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) declared water fluoridation as one of the ten major public health practices of the 20th century. Today, nearly 75 percent of the United States population is served by a fluoridated water system. In Turkey, fluoride is not added to water and fluoride levels in drinking water are low. It remains below the level that can prevent dental caries.
Use Fluoride Toothpaste and Mouthwash
Fluoride toothpastes are responsible for the significant decrease in tooth decay since 1960.
p>
Brush your teeth with fluoride toothpaste twice a day (morning and night) or as often as recommended by your dentist.
-
For children under 3 years of age, as soon as teeth begin to appear in the mouth, a Use an amount of fluoride toothpaste no larger than the size of a grain of rice.
-
For children aged 3-6, use no more than a pea-sized amount of fluoride toothpaste.
-
Always supervise your child brushing their teeth to make sure they are using the correct amount of toothpaste, and have your child spit out most of the toothpaste.
Fluoride mouthwashes can protect your teeth from tooth decay. It may help make your teeth more resistant to irritation, but children under six years of age should not use it unless recommended by a dentist. Most children under age 6 are more likely to swallow than spit because their swallowing reflexes are not fully developed.
Visit Your Dentist for Professional Fluoride Application
Tooth decay If you are at risk, your dentist may apply fluoride directly to your teeth with gel, foam, or varnish during your visit.
Take Fluoride Supplements
Fluoride supplements are tablets, which are available only by prescription. It is available in drop or lozenge forms. It is recommended for children between the ages of 6 months and 16 years who have a high risk of caries and in societies where there is not enough fluoride in drinking water, such as Turkey. You can consult your dentist, pediatrician or family doctor about your child's specific fluoride needs.
Read: 0
