There is a lot of misinformation about fluoride and fluoride treatments out there today. Many people are afraid that it is toxic or harmful to humans, and while that is true if you ingest excessive amounts of fluoride, tap water has very little fluoride and will not harm you, and fluoride treatments are not ingested at all, making them completely safe to undergo on a regular basis.
Benefits of Fluoride Treatments
Making fluoride treatments a part of your semi-annual oral care regimen is not only safe, but extremely helpful in preventing tooth decay. Getting a teeth cleaning every six months and a fluoride treatment at least every year or every six months can not only help to prevent things like cavities and keep your mouth clean, but it can also restore minerals to your tooth enamel.
Your tooth enamel is the protective wall of your teeth that allow you to eat what you want without any pain. Over time, different acidic and sugary foods cause your teeth to lose much needed minerals. Applying fluoride to the tooth enamel allows your teeth to reabsorb the lost minerals.
This is actually the reason for putting fluoride in tap water. Without it, if a person doesn’t do regular fluoride treatments at their dental office, then the minerals that your teeth are constantly losing through daily use could never be reabsorbed. This means that fluoride treatments are really necessary for strong, healthy tooth enamel.
Risks of Excessive Fluoride Treatments
Fluoride treatments are considered completely safe. The risk of ingesting fluoride and its toxicity depends on a person’s weight. For example, a small child should never be allowed to ingest more than a small amount of fluoridated toothpaste. However, a person should not be ingesting any amount of fluoride during a fluoride treatment, so they are always 100% safe.