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FLUORIDE…A Must for Everyone Unless you just arrived from Mars, I am sure you have heard many times over the years that the use of fluoride is a good thing for your teeth. The number of cavities a person has depends upon many things, but the more times fluoride is applied, the less that number usually is. To put it simply, fluoride is something that when applied to your teeth, makes your enamel stronger and more able to ward off decay. Fluoride comes in many forms. It can be a gel, a foam, a liquid rinse or a varnish. Children can even take chewable fluoride tablets that help strengthen their teeth from the inside out. When patients come to a dental office, the dentist and hygienist can rate their “cavity risk”. This means that there are things that are looked at and assessed about every patient, to come up with what type of cavity risk that particular patient has. For example, a low risk patient would be someone who has remained cavity free for the past 3 years, has good fillings with smooth edges, practices good oral hygiene, and goes for timely dental recall visits. A person with moderate risk for cavities has had at least 1 cavity in the past 3 years, has exposed root surfaces, has old fillings with questionable margins, fair oral hygiene habits, and new cavities seen on xrays. To be considered a high cavity risk patient means that you have had 3 or more cavities in the last 3 years, past root surface cavities and/or a large amount of exposed root surfaces, old fillings with cracked or open margins, poor old hygiene habits, frequent sugar intake, irregular dental visits, and anyone with an inadequate saliva flow (cancer patients, people on mouth drying medications, and certain conditions that dry your mouth such as Sjogrens Syndrome). People with periodontal disease and people undergoing orthodontic treatment are also in these last two categories, as are people who do not have dental insurance, or anyone with an impaired ability to maintain their oral hygiene. While even people in the low risk category need fluoride, it becomes much more of a necessity for patients who are a moderate or high risk. The next time you see your dental professionals, ask them to tell you what type of patient you are, and to discuss your particular fluoride needs.
Newtown Dental Care 7 Cambridge Lane Newtown PA 18940 |
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