Fluoride Treatment: Benefits Recommendations And After-Care

Fluoride Treatment: Benefits Recommendations And After-Care

Jan 01, 2022

Healthy teeth and gums are fundamental for your oral and overall health. You may try to maintain your dental health in optimal condition by brushing and flossing every day. However, it would help if you had more protection for your teeth with fluoride treatments provided by Pondside Dental Associates to support healthy tooth enamel to fight the bacteria harmful to your teeth and gums. Tooth enamel is the hard protective layer on each tooth.

Fluoride is particularly beneficial if you are at high risk of developing dental caries. Cavities occur on your teeth when bacteria build upon them and your gums to form a sticky layer of dental plaque that produces acids to erode your teeth and gum tissue. When plaque infiltrates the hard enamel layer, the microorganisms damage the nerves and blood vessels at the tooth’s center. Children are particularly prone to dental caries because they lack proper oral hygiene practices and snack frequently on sugary and starchy foods and beverages. It is why the dentist near you recommends fluoride treatments for your entire household to ensure you remain free from this devastating problem.

Fluoride Treatment for Kids

Your child also needs healthy teeth and gums from an early age, and your child’s pediatrician will discuss appropriate dental habits with you even before your child’s first tooth erupts. After the eruption of the tooth, the pediatrician suggests the child receive fluoride treatments in their office to prevent tooth decay. The treatments are recommended 2 to 4 times every year, and the number depends on how prone your child is to develop dental caries.

Pediatricians have the training needed to apply fluoride varnish because young children do not see or have access to a dentist until they are older. However, if your child from early, a pediatric dentist can provide fluoride treatment near you to them, as the American Academy for Pediatrics suggests. In such cases, fluoride varnish is applied at the dental office of the pediatric dentist.

What Are the Recommendations for Fluoride Treatment?

Fluoride treatments are recommended at your dentist’s office every three, six, or 12 months by the American Dental Association, depending on your oral health. Patients at high risk of cavities may also receive prescriptions for fluoride rinse or gel for use at home.

Your risk of cavities increases if you maintain poor oral hygiene, have weak enamel, do not receive professional dental care, have eating disorders or do not have a proper diet, indulge in excessive alcohol or drug use, and suffer from conditions like xerostomia, causing you to have decreased saliva and a dry mouth.

You can get optimal levels of fluoride from food, water, and supplements. However, fluoride treatment in Jamaica Plain recommends children receive 0.1 to 1.5 milligrams of fluoride from birth to tooth years, 1 to 2.5 milligrams from four to six years, 1.5 to 2.5 milligrams from seven to ten years, and 1.5 to 4 milligrams per day for adults and adolescents.

The Fluoride Application Procedure

Fluoride varnish is painted on the tops and sides of which tooth with a brush, swab, or tray. Fluoride treatments from dentists are highly concentrated and contain more fluoride than is available in toothpaste or water. The therapy requires merely a few minutes to apply and is entirely painless. However, the dentist Roslindale recommends you don’t eat or drink anything for the next 30 minutes after the treatment to ensure your teeth fully absorb the fluoride.

Fluoride Treatment After-Care

Fluoride treatment doesn’t require any after-care besides restricting yourself from eating or drinking anything for half an hour after the treatment. If your child receives the treatment, they can have soft, cold, or lukewarm foods or liquids after the application. You must restrict them from brushing or flossing their teeth for at least four to six hours or until the following day when they can continue with their everyday tasks ensuring they spit out and rinse after brushing.

Fluoride treatments from dentists contain more fluoride than available in water and toothpaste. The treatment requires a few minutes to make your tooth enamel stronger to fight the bacteria in your mouth. The treatments are not expensive either, costing nothing for children as dental insurance covers the treatment. However, adults may have to pay around $ 10-$ 30 or more for the treatment making it sensible to inquire with the dentist about the charges ahead of time.

Fluoride treatments are beneficial for your teeth and that of your children. Therefore if you or your child are at high risk of dental cavities getting the treatment prevents considerable expenditure and pain from dental infections and treatments.

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