What is fluoride?
Fluoride is a natural mineral that exists in a variety of foods and water supplies in low concentrations. The natural occurring fluoride in Okanagan Lake is between 0.20 mg/L and 0.30 mg/L. Contrary to popular belief, fluoride is no longer added to the water in the Okanagan, Metro Vancouver, or Vancouver Island. The City of Kelowna discontinued the practice of fluoridating drinking water in 1996.
Myths about fluoride
Despite fluoride being a safe and naturally occurring mineral, it has been a topic of controversy for many years. It is often a concern that fluoride is toxic and causes dental and skeletal fluorosis. While these concerns hold truth, this is only possible when fluoride is ingested in large and excessive amounts, especially during developmental years. For
this reason, it is advised to not swallow toothpaste or mouthwash and children's dental products often contain smaller or no amounts of fluoride just in case they swallow some. Children should only start using products with fluoride once they are old enough to be able to spit it out. Furthermore, higher concentrates of fluoride such as fluoride varnishes are only provided in a controlled environment by a dental professional to ensure that safe amounts of fluoride are maintained. Overall, the amounts of fluoride we are exposed to daily in our food and water are necessary for our bodies to function, and accidental ingestion of toothpaste every so often is not high enough to cause any detrimental effect.
Why is fluoride important?
Fluoride is an important nutrient for keeping the enamel of our teeth strong and healthy and can even reverse or stop early tooth decay. However, the natural concentration of fluoride in our water is not high enough to protect our teeth. This is why fluoride is added into dental products such as toothpaste and mouthwash and is applied during your dental office visits.
How does fluoride strengthen teeth and reverse cavities?
First, let's discuss how cavities form: The outside layer of the tooth, known as enamel, is a porous surface, meaning it has a ton of microscopic holes which allow a passageway for things to enter the tooth surface. Plaque and tartar are full of bacteria, and when these sit on the teeth, they enter the enamel surface and begin to demineralize and break down the enamel resulting in tooth decay (aka cavities).
When fluoride sits on your teeth, it has the opposite effect - it binds to the enamel to remineralize and strengthen the surface. Therefore, fluoride works to prevent bacteria from eroding the tooth structure, and in some cases of early decay (where the decay only affects the enamel layer) fluoride can reverse the decay and bring the tooth surface back to a healthy strong state. However, once tooth decay reaches the tooth layers beneath the enamel, fluoride can no longer remineralize the tooth, and this is when dental work would be required to repair the tooth structure. This is why fluoride is a great preventative and early intervention tool when it comes to tooth decay.
Alternatives?
Many individuals choose that additional fluoride is not for them. If you opt for fluoride-free options, try looking for products that contain hydroxyapatite, xylitol, or casein phosphopeptide-amorphous calcium phosphate (CPP-ACP), as these are newer alternatives that have promising results for tooth remineralization.
Conclusion
Overall, the goal is to keep your tooth structure healthy, strong, and cavity free, and fluoride is one of the best and trusted tools in dentistry to accomplish this. If you ever have any questions about fluoride or any alternatives, feel free to ask your dentist or dental hygienist the next time you see them.