NEW PATIENTS & EMERGENCIES BOOK NOW!
Menu

Fluoride

How-To-Protect-Tooth-Enamel-Apple-Dental-Tree

How To Protect Tooth Enamel

Blog

How To Protect Tooth Enamel

Introduction:

We have compiled this article on “How To Protect Tooth Enamel”. The reference links are at the bottom of the article.

[1]The surface of your teeth is called enamel. It helps protect them from decay. Some wear and tear is normal, but there’s plenty you can do to keep that barrier strong. Take these simple steps for a healthy mouth and a winning smile.

1. Limit Sugary Foods And Drinks

Bacteria in your mouth feed on sugar from foods and drinks. Then they make acids, which soften and wear away your enamel. Chewy candies that stick to your teeth can also cause damage. Soft drinks may have extra acids.

Soft drinks with artificial sweeteners are a smarter choice than ones with sugar, but they’re also acidic and will wear down enamel over time.

The best choice when you’re thirsty? A glass of plain water. Many flavored drinks of water are acidic.

2. Eat Foods That Protect Enamel

Calcium in food counters acids in your mouth that cause decay. It also helps keep your bones and teeth strong.

Milk, cheese, and other dairy products help protect and strengthen enamel, says Pamela L. Quinones, past president of the American Dental Hygienists’ Association. Choose low-fat or fat-free items to help keep calories down.

If you don’t eat dairy, look for foods with calcium added.

3. Avoid Over-Brushing

You can wear down your enamel if you brush too fast and hard. Hold a brush with a soft bristle at about a 45-degree angle to your gums. Then move it back and forth in short, gentle strokes, about the distance of one tooth.

Wait for up to an hour after eating sweets or citrus fruits before you brush your teeth. Acidic foods can soften enamel and may make it easier for you to damage it.

4. Use Fluoride

The American Dental Association (ADA) calls fluoride “nature’s cavity fighter” because it strengthens your enamel and helps repair the early stages of tooth decay. Fluoride also makes your teeth more resistant to acids that come from foods and from bacteria in your mouth.

The ADA recommends fluoride toothpaste as soon as the first tooth appears and throughout your life. Rinsing with a mouthwash that has fluoride can also help prevent cavities and keep your enamel strong.

5. Treat Heartburn And Eating Disorders

If you have severe heartburn, stomach acids may escape and eventually reach your mouth, where they can erode enamel. The eating disorder bulimia, in which people vomit food after they eat, is another threat to your enamel.

If you have either condition, talk to your doctor about treatment.

6. Beware Of Chlorinated Pools

When swimming pools aren’t chlorinated properly, the water may become too acidic. When that happens, the water can damage teeth that get wet.

Check with the recreation center or gym where you swim to make sure the pool’s chlorine levels are checked regularly. While swimming, keep your mouth closed so your teeth don’t get wet.

7. Watch Out For Dry Mouth

Saliva helps wash away food and bacteria that can lead to cavities. It also fights the effects of acidic foods. Drink water often to keep your mouth clean and moist.

If you exercise hard, be sure to rehydrate during and after your workout. Chewing sugarless gum or sucking on sugarless hard candy can also help keep saliva flowing in your mouth.

Some medical conditions and medications can cause dry mouth. Talk to your doctor about treatments.

8. Avoid Grinding Your Teeth

Some people grind their upper and lower teeth together, especially at night. Over time it can wear down the enamel.

Talk to your dentist if you’ve got the grinding habit. They may suggest a custom-fitted mouth guard that can protect your teeth.

7 Daily Ways To Protect Your Teeth

Some say the eyes are the window to the soul. But if you really want to know what someone’s about, check their smile. A welcoming show of pearly whites makes a great first impression, while a tight-lipped smile or whiff of bad breath does the opposite.

  • Brush Two Times A Day For Two Minutes

    Brush your teeth for two minutes, twice a day, says the American Dental Association (ADA). This will keep your teeth in top form. Brushing your teeth and tongue with a soft-bristled toothbrush and fluoride toothpaste cleans food and bacteria from your mouth. Brushing also washes out particles that eat away at your teeth and cause cavities.

  • A Morning Brush Fights Morning Breath

    The mouth is 98.6ºF (37ºC). Warm and wet, it’s filled with food particles and bacteria. These lead to deposits called plaque. When it builds up, it calcifies, or hardens, on your teeth to form tartar, also called calculus. Not only does tartar irritate your gums, it can lead to gum disease as well as cause bad breath. Be sure to brush in the morning to help get rid of the plaque that’s built up overnight.

  • Don’t Overbrush

    If you brush more than twice a day, for longer than four minutes total, you could wear down the enamel layer that protects your teeth.

    When tooth enamel isn’t there, it exposes a layer of dentin. Dentin has tiny holes that lead to nerve endings. When these are triggered, you might feel all sorts of pain. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, almost 20 percentTrusted Source of American adults have experienced pain and sensitivity in their teeth.

  • Don’t Turbocharge

    It’s also possible to brush too hard. Brush your teeth like you’re polishing an eggshell. If your toothbrush looks like someone sat on it, you’re applying too much pressure.

    Enamel is strong enough to protect teeth from everything that goes on inside your mouth, from eating and drinking to beginning the digestive process. Children and teens have softer enamel than adults, leaving their teeth more prone to cavities and erosion from food and drink.

  • Make Sure You Floss Every Day

    Want to avoid minimal scraping at your next checkup? Flossing loosens the particles that brushing misses. It also removes plaque, and in so doing prevents the buildup of tartar. While it’s easy to brush plaque away, you need a dentist to remove tartar.

  • It Doesn’t Matter When You Do It

    You finally have an answer to the age-old question: “Which comes first, flossing or brushing?” It doesn’t matter, according to the ADA, as long as you do it every day.

  • Stay Away From Soda

    Sip All Day, Get Decay” is a campaign from the Minnesota Dental Association to warn people of the dangers of soft drinks. It’s not just sugar soda, but diet soda, too, that harms teeth. The acid in soda attacks teeth. Once acid eats away at the enamel, it goes on to create cavities, leaves stains on the tooth surface, and erodes the inside structure of the tooth. To avoid drinking-related tooth decay, limit soft drinks and take good care of your teeth.

Conclusion:

Thank you for reading this article, and check back frequently for other dental health articles. Should you have any questions, please contact Apple Tree Dental today!

Article compiled by Apple Tree Dental

Article reference links

  1. https://www.webmd.com/oral-health/features/tooth-enamel-damage ↑

Special Offer

170-New-Patient-Special
Student Discount 20perct-3
How To Protect Tooth Enamel
10-Dental-Hygiene-Tips-for-Healthy-Teeth-Apple-Dental-Tree

10 Dental Hygiene Tips for Healthy Teeth

Blog

10 Dental Hygiene Tips for Healthy Teeth

Introduction:

Dental hygiene is needed for a healthy body and you must know the smart tips to keep your teeth healthy and long lasting.

We’ve put together this content that explains 10 Dental Hygiene Tips For Healthy Teeth. Be aware and take care of your teeth.

[1]Think you’re in a good groove with your daily oral hygiene routine? Take it up a notch with some simple technique adjustments. When added up, these 10 tips will help you refine your dental health habits –and keep your smile shiny and bright.

Use Proper Brushing Technique

There is a wrong and right way to brush your teeth. For a more thorough brush:

  • Use a soft-bristled brush
  • Beginning at your gumline, brush at a 45° angle
  • Brush the outside of your teeth, inside, and all over your molars
  • Be sure to get every nook and cranny around your teeth
  • Gently brush your gums and tongue

Brush Enough

Brush for at least two minutes a session. Use an hourglass or your favorite song to help you and your children keep track of time.

Pick The Right Brush

Manual or electric, bristle and handle type, head size, and of course, color! When it comes to choosing a toothbrush, there are a lot of options. Select a brush with a soft bristle and small to medium size head as recommended. After that, the rest is up to you.

Look For The Ada Seal

Ensure that your toothpaste is safe and effective by choosing one with the ADA seal and fluoride – this will fight plaque and prevent tooth decay.

Floss Properly

  • Like brushing, there’s a wrong and right way to floss. Remember to:
  • Give yourself about 18 inches of floss
  • Wind most of it around middle fingers, leaving 1to 2 inches on both sides
  • Make sure the floss is tight between your thumbs and index finger, then gently slide it between your teeth, using clean sections as you go from tooth to tooth
  • Gently floss beneath the gumline

[2]Don’t Neglect Your Tongue

Plaque can also build up on your tongue. Not only can this lead to bad mouth odor, but it can lead to other oral health problems. Gently brush your tongue every time you brush your teeth.

Use A Fluoride Toothpaste

When it comes to toothpaste, there are more important elements to look for than whitening power and flavors. No matter which version you choose, make sure it contains fluoride.

While fluoride has come under scrutiny by those worried about how it impacts other areas of health, this substance remains a mainstay in oral health. This is because fluoride is a leading defense against tooth decay. It works by fighting germs that can lead to decay, as well as providing a protective barrier for your teeth.

Consider Mouthwash

Advertisements make mouthwash seem necessary for good oral health, but many people skip them because they don’t know how they work. Schwartz says mouthwash helps in three ways: It reduces the amount of acid in the mouth, cleans hard-to-brush areas in and around the gums, and re-mineralizes the teeth. “Mouthwashes are useful as an adjunct tool to help bring things into balance,” he explains. “I think in children and older people, where the ability to brush and floss may not be ideal, a mouthwash is particularly helpful.”

Drink More Water

Water continues to be the best beverage for your overall health — including oral health. Also, as a rule of thumb, Schwartz recommends drinking water after every meal. This can help wash out some of the negative effects of sticky and acidic foods and beverages in between brushes.

Eat Crunchy Fruits And Vegetables

Ready-to-eat foods are convenient, but perhaps not so much when it comes to your teeth. Eating fresh, crunchy produce not only contains more healthy fiber, but it’s also the best choice for your teeth. “I tell parents to get their kids on harder-to-eat and chew foods at a younger age,” says Schwartz. “So try to avoid the overly mushy processed stuff, stop cutting things into tiny pieces, and get those jaws working!”

Conclusion:

We hope the content lets you understand the various methods through which one can maintain their dental hygiene. All the possible ways are explained but never bound yourself. Keep looking for best suggestions for your good oral health.

For Assistance, Visit Apple Tree Dental

Article compiled by Apple Tree Dental

Article Reference Links:

  1. https://www.colgate.com/en-us/oral-health/brushing-and-flossing/ten-dental-hygiene-tips-for-a-more-thorough-clean# ↑

  2. https://www.healthline.com/health/dental-and-oral-health/best-practices-for-healthy-teeth#8.-Drink-more-water ↑

Special Offer

170-New-Patient-Special
Student Discount 20perct-3
10 Dental Hygiene Tips for Healthy Teeth
Fluoride-Natures-Cavity-Fighter-Apple-Dental-Tree

Fluoride – Nature’s Cavity Fighter

Blog

Fluoride – Nature’s Cavity Fighter

Introduction:

One should be active and careful when it comes to oral hygiene. If you love fluoride, the details would be beneficial for you.

We’ve put together this content that explains Fluoride – Nature’s Cavity Fighter. Be aware and take care of your teeth.

[1]Are you a fan of fluoride? You should be! Fluoride is often called nature’s cavity fighter…and for good reason. It is a naturally-occurring mineral that helps prevent cavities in children and adults by making the outer surface of your teeth (enamel) more resistant to the acid attacks that cause tooth decay.

The benefits of fluoride reach both children and adults. Before teeth break through the gums, the fluoride taken in from foods, beverages, and dietary supplements makes tooth enamel stronger, making it easier to resist tooth decay. This provides what is called a systemic benefit. After teeth erupt, fluoride helps rebuild or remineralize weakened tooth enamel and reverses early signs of tooth decay. When you brush your teeth with fluoride toothpaste or use other dental products with it in them, the fluoride is applied to the surface of your teeth. This provides a topical benefit. Also, the fluoride you take in from foods and beverages continues to provide a topical benefit because it becomes part of your saliva, constantly bathing the teeth with tiny amounts of fluoride that help rebuild weakened tooth enamel.

Fluoride is naturally found in almost all water sources, rivers, lakes, wells, and even oceans. For the past 70 years, fluoride has been added to public water supplies to bring levels up to the amount necessary to help prevent tooth decay.

Community water fluoridation is like drinking milk fortified with Vitamin D or eating bread and cereals enriched with folic acid. Before water fluoridation, children had about three times as many cavities. Because of the important role it has played in the reduction of tooth decay, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has proclaimed community water fluoridation one of the great public health achievements of the 20th century.

[2]How Exactly Does Fluoride Work?

Cavities are caused by bacteria that live in our mouths. They feed on leftover food they find there, including sugary foods and drinks. When these bacteria consume sugars, they release acids that attack tooth enamel. Over time, damage to this protective outer layer of our teeth sets the stage for tooth decay.

Fluoride helps fight cavities by repairing the damage these acids can do to our teeth. The repair process is called remineralization.

How Fluoride Protects A Child’s Teeth From The Very Start

When infants are born, their baby (primary) teeth are already present in their jaws. Even before teeth break through the gums, they benefit from fluoride in the food and drink a child takes in. These early doses of fluoride strengthen the enamel on baby teeth, making them more resistant to cavities. (This is known as a systemic benefit.)

As a child’s primary teeth come in, fluoride helps rebuild any damage that happens when cavity-causing bacteria release acids in the mouth. This is why it’s important for children to use fluoride toothpaste and drink plenty of tap water, which usually contains fluoride.

Using fluoride toothpaste or getting a special fluoride treatment at the dentist’s office puts fluoride on the surface of a child’s teeth, creating a topical benefit. Also, the fluoride children get from foods and drinks becomes part of their saliva, bathing their teeth in tiny amounts of fluoride that help keep enamel strong and healthy.

How Do We Know Fluoride Is Safe And Effective?

For more than 70 years, the best scientific evidence has shown that adding fluoride to community water supplies is safe and effective. More than 100 health organizations recognize the cavity-fighting benefits of fluoridated water, including the World Health Organization, the American Medical Association, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the American Dental Association.

Studies show that fluoride in water is especially helpful in fighting childhood cavities. In fact, one study revealed that children who live in communities without fluoridated water are three times more likely to end up in the hospital needing dental surgery.

Research also shows that fluoride in local water systems prevents at least 25% of tooth decay in people of all ages. Better dental health helps save money since when more people need treatment for cavities, we all pay in the form of higher insurance premiums and taxes. In fact, the average lifetime cost per person of adding fluoride to local water supplies adds up to less than the cost of a single dental filling.

Conclusion:

We hope the content lets you understand about oral health. All the possible ways are explained but never bound yourself. Keep looking for best suggestions for the use of Fluoride.

For Assistance, Visit https://appletreedental.ca/

Article compiled by https://appletreedental.ca/

Article Reference Links:

  1. https://www.sunshinesmilesfl.com/blog/fluoride-natures-cavity-fighter/ ↑

  2. https://www.mouthhealthy.org/all-topics-a-z/fluoride/ ↑

Special Offer

170-New-Patient-Special
Student Discount 20perct-3
Fluoride – Nature’s Cavity Fighter
Fluoride-Myths-and-Facts-Apple-Dental-Tree

Fluoride – Myths and Facts

Blog

Fluoride – Myths and Facts

Introduction:

We have compiled this article on “Fluoride – Myths and Facts”. The reference links are at the bottom of the article.

[1]Fluoride is a mineral that can be found everywhere, but we consume it most often through our drinking water. You may be wondering why fluoride has been added to our water and if it’s healthy. This article will give you the facts on fluoride.

Fluoride Sources

Fluoride is a mineral that can be found in nature, such as in soil, air and water, and in very small amounts in most foods. We also get exposed to fluoride through dental products, like mouthwash and toothpaste, and by drinking tap water.

What does fluoride do for our teeth?

Fluoride helps to make our tooth enamel (the tooth’s outer layer) stronger. Strong tooth enamel can help prevent cavities.

[2]Fluoride occurs naturally in water, though usually not at a high enough level to protect teeth.

  1. Fluoride is a mineral that exists naturally in all water supplies: lakes, rivers, and groundwater.
  2. Some U.S. communities, such as El Paso, Texas and Jacksonville, Florida, have enough natural fluoride in their water to prevent tooth decay. But most communities must add a small amount of fluoride to reach the recommended level.
  3. There are proven benefits to our health from having the right amount of fluoride — just enough to protect our teeth — in drinking water.

Fluoride has been recognized as an important nutrient for healthy teeth.

  1. Fluoride is a mineral and in the right amount, fluoride in drinking water strengthens teeth. Fluoride is not a medication.
  2. Fluoride is one of several examples of everyday products fortified to improve our health — iodine is added to salt, folic acid is added to breads and cereals, and Vitamin D is added to milk.
  3. U.S. court decisions have rejected the argument that fluoride is a medication.

Community water fluoridation is the most cost-effective way to protect oral health and advance health equity.

  1. Fluoridation is the least expensive way to provide everyone in the same community with a proven form of cavity prevention.
  2. A 2021 report by the National Institutes of Health praised water fluoridation “for its effects in reducing socioeconomic disparities” in tooth decay.
  3. A 2021 report by Public Health England focused on closing oral health disparities. The report cited four studies that “consistently found that inequalities . . . were less pronounced in fluoridated areas.”

Fluoridation actually saves money by preventing tooth decay.

  1. Evidence shows that across the U.S. people in fluoridated communities save an average of $32.19 per person (in 2013 dollars) every year in reduced need for dental treatment compared to those without fluoridation.
  2. In Texas, the state saved $24 per child, per year in Medicaid expenditures because of the cavities that were prevented by drinking fluoridated water.
  3. Water fluoridation saves the state of Colorado nearly $150 million each year by avoiding unnecessary dental treatment.

[3]Fluoride concerns

Children

Young children (under 6 years of age) who are still forming teeth can develop dental fluorosis. This is a condition that occurs when fluoride causes white and brown spots to appear on the teeth. While not pleasing to look at, this condition is not harmful and can be treated by the dentist. Dental fluorosis does not usually occur in adults or older children.

The reason some younger children have dental fluorosis is because they are being exposed to more fluoride than they need to keep their teeth strong. Not only are they getting fluoride from tap water, but also other beverages made with water that has fluoride added, as well as toothpaste that is swallowed by accident.

Health Canada recommends that children under six use no more than a pea-sized amount of toothpaste. They should be supervised while brushing and taught not to swallow the toothpaste. Children under three should have their teeth brushed by an adult, without toothpaste, unless deemed high risk.

If you’re concerned about the amount of fluoride your child may be getting, speak to your dental provider.

The bottom line

Fluoride is a mineral that can help make our teeth stronger and prevent cavities. Public health measures such as adding fluoride to the water have contributed to reducing the rates of tooth decay, especially in children. Most Canadians are not exposed to harmful levels of fluoride and should feel safe about the affect of fluoride on their dental health.

Conclusion:

Thank you for reading this article, and check back frequently for other dental health articles. Should you have any questions, please contact Apple Tree Dental today!

Article compiled by Apple Tree Dental

Article reference links

  1. https://www.unlockfood.ca/en/Articles/Dental-health/Fluoride-Facts.aspx ↑
  2. https://ilikemyteeth.org/fluoridation/fluoride-myths-facts/ ↑
  3. https://www.unlockfood.ca/en/Articles/Dental-health/Fluoride-Facts.aspx ↑

Special Offer

170-New-Patient-Special
Student Discount 20perct-3
Fluoride – Myths and Facts