Every morning and every night, your brush your teeth for two minutes to remove plaque, bacteria, and food particles that have built up. You know this is a key part of keeping your smile healthy and avoiding cavities, gum disease, and other oral health issues. Fluoride is another important part of maintaining a healthy beam. Though you’ve heard of fluoride and know it’s good for your smile, you aren’t exactly sure how. Read on to learn how fluoride can be beneficial for a healthy beam and keep your teeth looking lovely.

What Is Fluoride?

Fluoride is a compound that occurs naturally in many rocks. These rocks release it into the soil, water, and air. Fluoride research was begun in 1901, and its oral health benefits were later discovered. It was later introduced into many sources of drinking water to help lower people’s decay. Oral hygiene products like toothpaste and mouthwash started to incorporate Fluoride in the 1950s. Additionally, almost all water has some fluoride in it, but it usually isn’t enough to prevent tooth decay.

How Fluoride Benefits Your Oral Health

Extensive research has been done on the relationship between fluoride and good oral health. According to Scientific American, this compound makes teeth more resistant to bacteria and acid. Recent research expanded on these findings and determined that fluoride works best topically. This means that using fluoride toothpaste or getting treatments from the dentist is the best way to use it to strengthen your pearly whites against cavities.

3 Ways to Use Fluoride to Keep Your Teeth Decay-Free

There are several things you can do to fully reap the benefits of fluoride on your smile, including:

• Use the right filter – DO you filter your drinking water to remove metals, microplastics, and other harmful substances? If so, make sure your chosen water-filtration system isn’t one that filters out fluoride.
• Use the right toothpaste – As previously mentioned, topical applications are the best way to use fluoride. Be sure to use toothpaste and other dental products that contain the substance and are approved by the American Dental Association (ADA).
• Get a fluoride treatment – During your biannual dental visits, get fluoride treatments to strengthen your smile if your dentist recommends doing so.

As you can see, there is a range of ways to get enough fluoride to keep your smile healthy. With the help of this magical mineral, you can keep tooth decay at bay and promote a healthy, happy set of pearly whites!

About the Author

Dr. Jamie L. Guthrie is a skilled dentist in Ardmore who opened her own private dental practice in July of 2007. Since then, she has built and led a team of compassionate, talented oral health professionals who enjoy helping their Oklahoma patients prevent cavities and other oral health problems. They can teach you the best ways to protect your beam and administer fluoride treatments to give your smile an extra layer of protection. Visit Dr. Guthrie’s website or call her dental office at (580) 224-9600 if you want more information on the services she offers or to schedule an appointment.