Fluoride is vital in keeping your teeth healthy and strong. Your teeth have enamel, a clear substance made up of mostly minerals that covers the outer layer of each of your teeth and protects them from cavities and decay. Your teeth’s enamel is constantly being worn down by plaque, tartar, and leftover debris from the food you eat. When applied to your teeth, fluoride remineralizes your enamel, building it back up so it can continue to help protect your smile. This fluoride Q&A can provide you with more insight about this oral health hero.
Question 1: Is Fluoride Only In Toothpaste?
Answer: No. Besides being a main ingredient in toothpaste, fluoride can also be found in fluoridated public water supplies, certain bottles of water, and as a topical gel your dentist can provide, along with many other items.
Question 2: Do Children With Their Baby Teeth Need Fluoride?
Answer: Yes. Children should begin brushing with fluoride toothpaste as soon as their first teeth come in. They should brush at least twice a day. This will not only help prevent their baby teeth from developing cavities or decaying, but it can also help with their adult teeth, which are developing within their jawbones underneath the baby teeth.
Question 3: Does Fluoride Occur Naturally In Water?
Answer: Yes. Fluoride is naturally present in water but can vary in the level it occurs. The level is raised in public water to the amount that can help prevent tooth decay. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention proclaimed that the fluoridation of community water is one of the 10 great public health achievements of the 20th century.
