If you have ever taken a child to the dentist, you may be familiar with fluoride treatments. A dentist will apply a strengthening fluoride gel to the teeth, which is enormously helpful for children that are at risk for tooth decay.
However, children aren’t the only ones who need fluoride treatment. Adults who are at moderate or severe risk of developing tooth decay may also benefit from this procedure. Here are a few examples of adults who may need a little extra fluoride.
People With Dry Mouth
Saliva is a crucially important part of maintaining oral health—not only does it break down and carry away food particles, but it also aids in the process of remineralizing teeth.
Some adults can develop chronic dry mouth, which can prevent saliva from remineralizing teeth. This can be a side effect of some common medications. In such cases, fluoride treatment can compensate for the saliva that they’re lacking on a daily basis.
People With Receding Gums
You may have heard that some people have a “gummy” smile, but there are some people for whom the opposite is true, where the gums have receded away from the teeth. This happens naturally as people age, but can also be the consequence of advanced gum disease.
In some cases, this can potentially expose the roots underneath the gum line. Tooth roots are much softer than your enamel, so they need some extra protection.
Dentists can brush a fluoride coat onto the gums that can shield them. If you’ve noticed your gums have shrunk back a bit, you might want to talk to your dentist about this option.
People With Restorations
If you’ve recently gotten crowns or veneers, you now have a protective shell covering your teeth. However, the small gaps between these restorations and the gums can still be a little bit sensitive, which is where fluoride treatment comes in.
A little extra fluoride can help the teeth protect themselves around the seams, which can make people with these kinds of restorations much more comfortable.
As you can see, there are all kinds of reasons that an adult would benefit from fluoride treatment. If you think you may be one of them, ask your dentist about it—they’ll be happy to help you!
About the Author
For Dr. Gary Nawrocki there’s nothing that is more satisfying than being able to ease someone’s discomfort. In the four decades he’s been practicing dentistry, he’s happy to have been able to do that for countless patients. Dr. Nawrocki received his doctorate from the University of Florida, and in the years since he has completed thousands of hours of continuing education from facilities across the country.
If you have any questions about fluoride treatments, he can be reached at his website or by phone at (321) 783-7514.