Fluoride Treatments

Some people think that regular dental visits aren’t really necessary as long as they brush and floss regularly and they’re not experiencing teeth or gum pain. Here at Cherry Creek Dental Spa, we always encourage our patients to see their dentists every 6 months for dental cleanings, monitoring of their oral health and in some cases, to receive fluoride treatments.

Benefits of Fluoride Treatments

Bacteria are present in the mouth and they feed on sugar from the food we eat. Bacteria can produce acid that attacks the enamel of your teeth, eventually leading to decay. However, fluoride can help fight off these acid attacks and can even reverse tooth decay. For young children, fluoride becomes an integral part of the development of permanent teeth, so that the teeth become much more resistant to the damage caused by bacteria. The fluoride encourages the redeposit of lost minerals such as fluoride, phosphate, and calcium. The fluoride can even disrupt the acid production of the plaque bacteria in both adults and children.

Who Needs Fluoride Treatments?

Everyone needs them, as the fluoride in your regular toothpastes and mouthwashes aren’t enough. At our office, we can provide or prescribe fluoride in much stronger concentrations to make the treatment more effective. You need fluoride if:

• You tend to eat a lot of snacks and sugary food items.
• You have lots of pits and grooves in your teeth where the bacteria can get in.
• You’ve had braces, bridges, and crowns put in, as the points of contact for these devices (around the brackets of braces and where the crown meets the underlying tooth structure) are more susceptible to tooth decay.
• You tend to have an extensive history of tooth decay, so that you tend to have a cavity every two years or so.
• You have gum disease or recessed gums, as these conditions can expose more of your tooth to the bacteria that causes tooth decay.
• You have dry mouth, either caused by medications or by some underlying health condition. When you don’t have enough saliva, it’s harder to wash away the food bits in your mouth and the acids aren’t neutralized.

Final Thoughts

When was the last time you’ve had a proper fluoride treatment? Fluoride treatment should be part of your regular checkups if you want to achieve optimal dental health. Call our dental office to schedule an appointment.