*Nature’s cavity fighter*
Fluoride is a natural mineral that helps prevent cavities in both children and adults. It makes the outer part of your tooth (enamel) strong and resistant to acid attacks from tooth decay.
How does fluoride protect the teeth?
Before teeth break through the gums, they soak up fluoride from foods, drinks, and dietary supplements. It makes tooth enamel stronger, and more resistant to decay. We call this a “systemic” benefit.
After the teeth erupt, fluoride helps rebuild weakened tooth enamel. Brushing your teeth with fluoride toothpaste, or other fluoride products, it is applied to the surface of your teeth. This is what we call a “topical” benefit.
How Do I Get Fluoride?
Consider drinking water with fluoride! It is naturally found in most water sources, rivers, lakes, and even the ocean. For the past 70 years, fluoride has been added to everyday water supplies to bring little, to perfect amount to prevent tooth decay.
Community water fluoridation is like eating bread and cereals enriched with folic acid. Before water fluoridation, kids had almost three times as much cavities. It truly plays a huge rule in the reduction of tooth decay. Water fluoridation is one of the ten great public health achievements of the 20th century. It can decrease the risk of decay by 25%. Nowadays, almost 75% of the United States population is served by community water systems.
Reminders!
- Brush your teeth twice a day and floss at least once a day.
- Start brushing your kid’s teeth as soon as they start to appear in the mouth by using fluoride toothpaste in an amount no more than a grain of rice.
- For children 3 to 6 years old, use no more than a pea-sized amount of fluoride toothpaste.
- Always supervise your child’s brushing to make sure they use the right amount. Encourage them to spit out most of the toothpaste they put on their toothbrush.
