Fluoride is a natural mineral that occurs in many of our everyday foods and water. Everyday our teeth go through two processes, demineralization, where minerals are lost from our teeth enamel and remineralization where tooth enamel is repaired. One thing that helps repair tooth enamel is fluoride. Fluoride help prevent tooth decay and can even sometimes reverse early decay.
Fluoride can be found in many of your foods and water as mentioned before and can be applied directly to your teeth. Some everyday items to help your enamel are fluoride toothpaste and mouth rinse which can be found in and local pharmacy or store. Many times when you visit the dentist, they’ll ask if you would like the fluoride treatment that day. The difference in the over the counter fluoride and the one offered in-office is that the in-office treatments contain a much higher level of fluoride than the amount found in toothpastes and mouth rinses. They can also be applied directly to your teeth as a gel, foam, or varnish.
In your next check-up ask your dental hygienist or dentist for a fluoride treatment and feel the difference.