In What Ways Does Fluoride Fight Cavities?
Saliva mixed with calcium and phosphate works together with the fluoride in your toothpaste or water source to build a defense system to prevent cavities from forming. The outer covering of your teeth, enamel, is made of calcium and phosphate and is stronger than bone.
Saliva has calcium and phosphate and inundates the teeth on a constant basis to keep them strong. Eating carb rich food products such as crackers and noodles, or sweets such as candy and soft drinks, provides cavity-causing bacteria to feast on the carbohydrates in these foods. Acids produced in this exchange attack tooth enamel and cause the calcium and phosphate to be exposed from the tooth enamel. This leaves your teeth vulnerable to cavities and decay.
Fluoride Toothpaste Fights Cavities
The foundation of good oral health begins by brushing your teeth at least twice a day and flossing at bedtime. The type of toothpaste you use is an important aspect for achieving good oral health. There are so many toothpaste varieties to choose from, it can be bewildering.
- Look for a toothpaste that contains fluoride.
- Your toothpaste should have the American Dentist Association (ADA) seal of approval.
- Adult toothpaste may not be right for your children.
- Check with Dr. Angela S. Evanson, DDS to understand the best toothpaste for your family’s fluoride requirements. She is a helpful resource in recommending fluoride products based on your oral health and the individual needs of your family.
- Dental check-ups twice a year with Dr. Evanson is one of the best ways to fight cavities. During your check-up she will x-ray your teeth and check for tooth decay to know whether you need additional fluoride treatments.
Fluoride is Naturally in Water and Helps to Prevents Tooth Decay
Fluoride is found naturally in groundwater and in the ocean. Water fluoridation in city water sources is the adaptation of fluoride to a suggested level for preventing tooth decay. This process of treating water is similar to fortifying other foods and beverages, such as boosting milk with vitamin D, bread with folic acid, salt with iodine, and orange juice with calcium. This CDC website will advise you if the water source in your area is fluoridated.
- Fluoride in your drinking water is an effective way to prevent tooth decay. The best available scientific evidence over the past 70 years has consistently proven that community water fluoridation is effective in preventing cavities for children and adults.
- Tooth decay among children (4 to 17 years old) decreased 29 percent after water fluoridation, and now tooth decay among children and adults is on the rise again. Non-fluoridated bottled water appears to be the root cause of this malady.
- The simplest and most effective way to drink water throughout the day is to get a reusable water bottle that you can fill with tap water. You’ll do your part for the environment and fight cavities while quenching your thirst.
- Community water fluoridation has been sanctioned by numerous U.S. Surgeons General.
- Americans can benefit from fluoride’s cavity fighting qualities by simply drinking fluoridated water and seeing your dentist on a regular basis.
- Over 100 health organizations recognize that water fluoridation has health benefits for preventing dental decay. Among those agencies are the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP), the American Medical Association, the World Health Organization, and the American Dental Association (ADA). In fact, the CDCP named community water fluoridation one of 10 great public health achievements of the 20th century.
Make an appointment with Dr. Evanson to see if your fluoride levels are adequate enough to protect your teeth. Call (720) 409-0008 or contact her office online.
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