What is fluoride?
Fluoride is a naturally occurring mineral found in many foods and water. In dentistry, healthcare providers use fluoride to strengthen teeth and reduce the risk of cavities.
What does fluoride do?
Every day, your enamel (the protective outer layer of your tooth) gains and loses minerals. You lose minerals when acids — formed from bacteria, plaque and sugars in your mouth — attack your enamel. (This process is demineralization.) You gain minerals — like fluoride, calcium and phosphate — when you consume food and water that contain these minerals. (This process is remineralization.)
Tooth decay is a result of too much demineralization without enough remineralization.
Dental fluoride helps prevent tooth decay by making your enamel more resistant to acid attacks. It also reverses early decay.
Types of fluoride used in dentistry
Many foods and water contain fluoride. You can also purchase fluoride toothpaste and mouthwash. You can buy low-strength fluoride mouthwash over the counter. Stronger concentrations in liquid or tablet form need a healthcare provider’s prescription.
A dentist can also apply fluoride to your teeth in the form of:
- Foam, which they’ll dispense into a custom tray, then place over your teeth.
- Varnish, which they’ll paint directly on your teeth.
- Gel, which they’ll either paint on your teeth or dispense in a custom tray.
At what age is fluoride intake most important?
Infants and children between the ages of 6 months and 16 years need an appropriate amount of fluoride. Developing teeth benefit from fluoride just as much as teeth that have already erupted (grown in).
The American Dental Association (ADA) recommends watching the intake of too much fluoride in infants and young children. The ADA specifically recommends avoiding reconstituted liquid formulas, such as liquid concentrate or powdered baby formulas that require mixing with fluoridated water.
Instead, the ADA recommends breast milk (chest milk), ready-to-feed formula or prepared formula mixed with fluoride-free water. These recommendations are to guard against enamel fluorosis — faint white streaks that can appear on tooth enamel during a child’s developmental years, even before the teeth erupt through the gums.
For young children, the ADA also recommends:
- Using a pea-sized amount of fluoride toothpaste at each brushing.
- Spitting out rather than swallowing the toothpaste.
- Not allowing children under age 6 to use fluoride mouth rinses unless recommended by a dentist or other healthcare provider.
- Not giving fluoride-containing dietary supplements to children under 6 months of age.
Do adults benefit from fluoride?
Yes, adults can benefit from fluoride, too. You might especially benefit from fluoride if you have:
- Dry mouth (xerostomia), a common side effect of some healthcare conditions (like Sjögren’s syndrome) and certain medications (such as allergy medications and antihistamines). Saliva (spit) helps wash away food particles and bacteria. Slow saliva production makes you more prone to oral health issues like gum disease and cavities.
- Gum disease, which exposes your teeth and gums to bacteria and increases your risk of tooth decay.
- A history of tooth decay, which usually means that you’d benefit from additional fluoride.
- Crowns, bridges, braces or removable partial dentures, which may increase your risk of cavities, especially around orthodontic brackets or where your crown meets your tooth.
