Fluoride Treatments Can Provide Additional Protection for Your Teeth
Acid-producing bacteria that accumulate around the teeth and gums in a sticky clear film known as plaque are the primary cause of dental caries. It helps to brush your teeth regularly twice a day and clean your teeth with dental floss to remove the plaque accumulated. Regular visits for cleanings and examinations are also necessary from dentistry in Katy to determine whether you are at risk of cavities.
Preventive dental care is essential if you want to prevent caries, and dentists regularly recommend fluoride treatment as a method to repair the teeth during the initial stages when caries are just developing. People looking for fluoride treatments can find them in topical and systemic forms that can be used.
When Should You Be Receiving Fluoride Treatments?
After an examination, your dentist may recommend fluoride treatments every three, six, or 12 months. You may also be recommended additional preventive measures if you are considered a day moderate or high risk of developing caries. The measures suggested may include topical or systemic treatments, gels, and antibacterial mouthwashes.
How Will You Benefit from Fluoride Treatments?
Providing your dental benefits is the primary task of fluoride treatments. You must understand that the development of caries in your mouth can lead to tooth decay and increase your risks for developing cavities. Fluoride treatments can help to prevent caries from developing in the early microscopic stages of this condition. This by itself is a major dental benefit because it can prevent you from many other conditions that you would have become susceptible to.
Which Type of Fluoride Treatment Is Best Suited for You?
Your dentist is the sole authority that can determine the type of fluoride treatment best suited for your needs. This is the reason why you are suggested to visit your dentist at least once in six months for an evaluation. Dentists are providing in-office fluoride treatments to help protect the oral health of children, adults, and patients who may be at a higher risk of developing caries. Some of the factors that may increase the risks of developing caries will include the following:
- Poor oral hygiene
- Drug or alcohol abuse
- Eating disorders
- Refraining from getting professional dental care regularly
- Active caries
- Ongoing orthodontic treatment combined with poor oral hygiene
- A high percentage of bacteria which can cause caries in the mouth
- Supporting radiation treatment to the head or neck
- Defects in tooth enamel
- Decreased flow of saliva resulting in dry mouth
- Root surfaces of the tooth being exposed
If you or a family member isn’t a risk of developing caries, you may find help from a professional fluoride treatment. The dentist may decide to offer you an in-office fluoride treatment, which is stronger than the varieties found in kinds of toothpaste and mouth rinses that are commonly available in stores and pharmacies.
You may be suggested to use topical fluoride treatments such as toothpaste and gels, which are applied directly to the surface of the tooth. These topical treatments can be used from home and will not require help from a dentist.
Systemic fluorides are the variety that is swallowed and maybe in the form of dietary supplements and fluoridated water. You can receive the maximum dental benefits against caries if you ensure you are getting fluoride both systemically and topically.
How Long Will It Take to Get Professional Fluoride Treatment?
Professional treatments provided by a qualified dentist will generally require just a few minutes. The fluoride applied to the teeth will be in the form of a solution, gel, varnish, or foam. It is applied with a cotton swab or brush but may also be used as a rinse or placed in a tray to be held in the mouth for several minutes. You will be advised not to have any foods or beverages for at least 30 minutes after the treatment. This is to allow your teeth to absorb the fluoride to help repair microscopic carious spots in your mouth.
Receiving these treatments does not provide you the freedom to neglect your oral care routine. The fluoride treatments will only be as effective as your oral hygiene, and therefore you must ensure you are brushing and flossing at least twice a day, staying away from unhealthy dental practices, and, most importantly, visiting your dentist at least twice a year for examinations and cleanings. Using the entire package will provide you adequate preventive dental care than obtaining just a single treatment, which is likely to increase your visits to the dental office.