Flouride - Prevent Tooth Decay

Tooth decay is a common oral hygiene problem but it can be easily prevented. There are many ways to prevent tooth decay, but one of the most effective is brushing with fluoride. Many people don't really know all the facts about fluoride and how it helps prevent tooth decay.

If you are curious about learning more about tooth decay then you should learn the basics of fluoride. Fluoride is derived from Fluorine, the 13th most abundant element that is discharged into the environment naturally in both air and water. Fluoride helps prevent tooth decay by maintaining saliva in the mouth and dental plaque is reduced. Fluoride keeps the tooth enamel strong by preventing the loss of important minerals from the enamel. But fluoride can be harmful to children under the age of 6.

They can develop enamel fluorosis if they ingest more fluoride than need. Enamel fluorosis is a discoloration of the tooth enamel. This is why children should always be supervised when brushing their teeth. But fluoride shouldn't be ingested by adults in large amounts, either. Fluoride is present in water naturally but a community's water supply can have extra fluoride added with community water fluoridation.

Optimal dental health requires approximately 1.0 parts per million fluoride. Community water fluoridation is a unharmful, effective and economical way to prevent tooth decay. This means everyone in a community that provides water fluoridation will be protected from tooth decay. Fluoridation has been used in the United States for over 50 years. Fluoridation first was used for preventing tooth decay in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It was said to have reduced tooth decay up to 60% in the United States since World War II. Studies have shown that the use of community water fluoridation helps prevent tooth decay in children and adults. Over 40 of the largest cities in the U.S. have community water fluoridation. It reaches 62% of the population through public water supplies. That is more than 145 million people. It costs on average about 75 cents per person a year.

But fluoridation isn't the only way people consume fluoride. About 75% of fluoride intake comes from soft drinks, juice and water. There are many people who don't believe in using fluoride and claim that it is very unhealthy for human consumption. That's why there are organic toothpaste alternatives that don't use any fluoride. In order to maintain proper dental health, people must use the right amount of fluoride dental products, along with visiting a dentist regularly. Even if you constantly brush your teeth, you must still see a dental professional. Only visiting the dentist can ensure good oral health.

There are many ways to prevent tooth decay but one is to use fluoride. The use of fluoride dental products and fluoridated water will help everyone maintain great oral health and keep more permanent teeth.