Naturally, teeth are strong and can withstand almost anything you throw at them. However, they occasionally need an extra boost to ensure that they stay healthy. For this reason, there are additional treatments that our dentists offers, such as fluoride varnish, to help boost your oral health.
Fluoride is a mineral that you interact with almost every day in one form or another. It can be found in tap water since many places have added fluoride in drinking water to help reduce the prevalence of dental cavities.
Who Needs Fluoride Treatment?
Each day your teeth lose essential minerals through a process known as demineralization. This happens when you have eaten sugary foods and bacteria release acids to digest the food debris. Then the acid that is produced attacks your enamel. However, when you brush your teeth and floss regularly, you can control the effects of these acids.
But suppose you keep on losing fluoride, calcium, and phosphate without getting new ones. In that case, you become more susceptible to tooth decay and other dental health complications simply because the enamel will keep on thinning.
Fluoride is essential for everyone’s oral health. However, other people are at a higher risk of getting cavities because they have a preexisting condition. You might need a fluoride treatment if you have:
- Dry mouth conditions. Dry mouth can be caused by a number of diseases that affect saliva production, leaving your teeth susceptible to decay
- Periodontal disease. This disease affects the gums and might expose your roots, elevating the chances of you getting tooth decay
- Presence of crowns, braces, or bridges. If you have had such dental treatments, there’s a higher chance of you getting cavities since it can be challenging to clean around the bracket or where the underlying tooth and crown meet
- Early signs of tooth decay since fluoride treatment can reverse these effects
- Poor oral hygiene or you find it hard to maintain steady practices each day like the elderly or children or people with special needs
- Sensitive teeth since fluoride varnish can help to strengthen the enamel
How Is Fluoride Applied?
When you need fluoride treatment, our cosmetic dentist near you will only take 30 minutes of your time. Highly concentrated fluoride varnish will be applied to your teeth using a brush, tray, or swab. After 30 minutes, your teeth should have absorbed the fluoride.
What Foods Should You Eat or Avoid After Fluoride Treatment?
After fluoride has been applied, dentist will list foods that you should avoid and provide other care tips.
Always remember that after fluoride treatment, it is best to avoid extreme temperatures. Your teeth and gums can be more sensitive than usual after a cleaning and fluoride treatment. So, they need a few hours to recuperate before you can get back to eating as you desire.
Here are the foods you need to avoid:
- Hot or cold foods and beverages as this would have more effect than normal since your teeth and gums are sensitive
- Citrus fruits (grapefruits, limes, oranges, and lemons) because these fruits have high acidity levels
- Crunchy or hard foods or any other type of food that needs a lot of chewing
- Sugary drinks
Here’s what you can eat during that recovery window:
- Hard-boiled eggs
- Soft foods such as applesauce, yogurt, bananas, and mashed potatoes
- Liquid foods or soups
Other Recommendations
Besides following the above recommendations, our cosmetic dentist near you suggest you do the following:
- Do not floss, brush or rinse your teeth for about six hours after fluoride treatment. If you do so, you might wipe off the fluoride from your teeth before it is entirely absorbed
- Avoid drinking alcohol or any products that contain alcohol
- Resume regular brushing and flossing after six hours or the following day
- Do not use any additional fluoride treatments for at least three days or until you are advised to do so by our dentist. This is because you might get fluorosis, a condition that is characterized by white specks or brown streaks on your teeth because of too much fluoride
Fluoride treatment is essential and is best done after your teeth have been professionally cleaned. It is recommended that you come in after every 3, 6, or 12 months for teeth cleaning. Contact us today to our experts.