Elmhurst Dentist Talks About the Uses and Benefits of Fluoride Treatment

Written by Dr. Scharfenberg on Feb 18, 2015

Elmhurst Dentist Talks About the Uses and Benefits of Fluoride Treatment

Preventative dentistry services are aimed at reducing the likelihood that patients will suffer from dental cavities and gum disease in the future. One important tool in the preventative dentist’s toolbox is fluoride. Fluoride strengthens teeth and helps your enamel to combat cavities. So let’s learn more about fluoride treatments and products.

Our Elmhurst dentists often recommend fluoride treatments for children with young teeth. Fluoride treatments occur in-office; the child simply sits in the dentist’s chair with a specially formulated fluoride gel on his or her teeth. The fluoride helps to strengthen the dental enamel (the outermost layer of the tooth) and prevent cavities.

Adult patients with compromised dental enamel may also benefit from supplemental in-office fluoride applications. Additionally, your dentist may recommend that you use specific fluoridated products in your daily home dental routine. These products most often come in the forms of fluoridated rinses and toothpastes.

Some patients receive adequate fluoride in their daily diets, because many water systems in the United States are supplemented with fluoride. This means that your teeth get a dose of tooth-strengthening fluoride when you drink and rinse with water.

However, it is important to note that young patients—those under 18 months to two years—should not use fluoridated products. This is because these young patients are still developing their adult teeth under the gum line. And if they ingest a significant quantity of fluoride, their adult teeth may develop with stains and pits and grooves in them; this condition is called dental fluorosis. Talk to your dentist to determine when your young child can start utilizing fluoridated toothpaste.

If you want to learn more about how fluoride helps patients of many different ages, our Elmhurst dentist office is here to provide you with the support and information that you need. Get started today by contacting our office by phone or through our website.