Forgetting Fluoride?

It is no surprise that Americans have trended towards a diet that is heavy in sugary and highly-processed foods. What makes matters even worse for your teeth, however, is the simultaneous trend of drinking bottled water over tap water. While any type of water is better for your dental health compared to sodas, juices or teas, you should be mindful of how much of your water intake comes from the bottle. The reason is fluoride!

Fluoride is a naturally-occurring mineral that has been proven to protect your smile health with its ability to fight tooth decay. Fluoride essentially protects the outer layer of your teeth (enamel) to help it withstand the harmful acids, bacteria and sugars that you consume throughout the day. While dentists recommend we get a certain amount of fluoride at all stages of life, there’s more than one way to get this valuable mineral.

Fluoride Beyond Your Toothpaste

Most patients know fluoride as an ingredient that should be in their toothpaste. However, these topical fluorides, including toothpaste, mouth rinses and dentist applied fluoride treatments, are not the only way to get fluoride and gain its preventative benefits. Don’t dismiss your water intake as one of the easiest methods of getting sufficient fluoride for your smile.

Community Water Fluoridation

The science-based benefits of fluoride for your dental health are so great that the American Dental Association fully advocates for the fluoridation of community water supplies as safe, effective and necessary measure to prevent tooth decay. this means ensuring the city’s main water supply contains fluoride. It does not mean, however, that your favorite bottled water from the grocery store has that same fluoride.

Considering these water fluoridation statistics from the American Dental Association (ADA), it may be time to incorporate more tap water into your daily hydration:

• Community water fluoridation is so effective at preventing tooth decay that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention named it one of the 10 great public health achievements of the 20th century.
• The average lifetime cost per person to fluoridate a water supply is less than the cost of just one dental filling. For most municipalities, every $1 invested in water fluoridation saves $38 in dental treatment costs.
• Studies show that fluoride in community water systems prevents at least 25 percent of tooth decay in children and adults, even with widespread public access to fluoride from other sources such as fluoride toothpaste.

Not sure that you or your child is getting enough fluoride for a healthy smile? Make an appointment at Alora Dentistry. We are fully equipped to help you maintain a strong and confident smile at every stage of life.