In Our Dental Office We Use Fluoride: Here’s Why

When you visit our dental office, we may discuss fluoride with you. This is especially true if you have children.  Fluoride has become such a household name that it is easy to assume that most people know what it is and why it is good for them. We have found, however, that most of our patients are still unclear as to the benefits and why it helps in the first place.  With that in mind, here is why fluoride is one of our favorite tools for preventing cavities.
What is demineralization?

The process of the enamel on the outside of the tooth starting to wear away or become softer.  Demineralization occurs naturally as a person ages.  It can happen faster due to a poor or acidic diet, a lack of oral hygiene, brushing too aggressively, or failing to visit the dentist on a regular basis.  It creates a risk because teeth that are softer and weaker are less able to fight off tooth decay.  This leads to a situation where cavities are more prevalent.  In order to understand why fluoride is important, you must first know about demineralization and understand that everyone goes through this at some point.  Fluoride, however, can help to remineralize the teeth.  When you drink it, or fluoride is placed onto the teeth, it can strengthen them, and strong teeth are better equipped to fight off tooth decay.  In fact, after a fluoride treatment, the progression of tooth decay can often be stopped, and some of the damage reversed.
Where do you get fluoride?
In its natural state, fluorine is virtually everywhere.  It is in the food that you had for lunch, the air that you breathed in the restaurant and the dirt that you walked on.  While natural, it is not found in significant enough quantities in these states to make a major difference into how strong your teeth are.  In order to get the full benefit, you have to either drink fluoride through the public water or schedule a fluoride treatment with our dental office. In both scenarios, you will decrease your risk of getting cavities by thirty percent. We also recommend that you brush with a fluoride toothpaste two to three times per day in order to further strengthen your teeth.  While the paste is not as effective, it can work well to augment these other activities.
Why it's important to use fluoride –
In our dental office, we can treat tooth decay but prefer for our patients to avoid getting a cavity in the first place.  This can be hard to do considering that the CDC reported the single largest infectious disease in children is tooth decay.  It leads to missed days of school and causes uncomfortable toothaches, making it important to fight the condition and take steps to further prevent cavities. Knowing that, the benefits associated with reducing cavities by thirty percent are significant.  To learn more or to find out how fluoride treatments can help your child or teen, call and schedule an appointment.

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Visit Our General Dentist Office If You Have Severe Headaches

As a general dentist, we can help if you are experiencing severe headaches, neck, face, or jaw pain.  Around forty percent of the adult population suffers from headaches on a regular basis.  For most people, they are uncomfortable but can be solved with Tylenol.  For one out of every eight adults, the headaches are far more severe and can make it difficult to carry on with normal daily activities.  While most people don't think of a dentist when their head hurts, you should and here's why –
Headaches are typically caused by muscle tension.  The temporomandibular joint is what makes your jaw move and connects your lower jaw to your skull.  These muscles and joints are responsible for allowing you to chew and speak.  They are constantly used  including  to bite down over 2,000 times a day to swallow alone.  With constant use, if you start clenching or grinding your teeth, tension can be placed on these muscles and joints resulting in symptoms of a TMJ disorder.
People that suffer from even mild TMJ can have pain in their jaw that makes chewing uncomfortable or even difficult to open their mouth.  Many people also suffer from headaches, neck and face pain as a result of TMJ.  As a general dentist, this is something that we can help to address.
Not all cases of TMJ are ongoing.  Some people only experience symptoms during times of high stress, perhaps because the stress causing them to clench their teeth at night.  Others suffer on a daily basis and are often unaware of what is causing the problem in the first place.  In either case, we suggest wearing a removable oral appliance at night.  This is a simple device that is created based on an impression and measurements of your mouth.  It surrounds both your upper and lower teeth but is connected in such a way as to prevent your teeth from touching at night.  Without the ability to clench or grind your teeth, your jaw can relax while you sleep.  This solution is so simple, yet entirely effective because when your muscles and joints relax, you will wake up without tension and, therefore, without a headache.
If you aren't grinding your teeth at night, you may still be placing undue pressure onto some of your teeth or your jaw due to how you hold your mouth and jaw throughout the day.  Those with severely crooked teeth or those with damaged teeth are more likely to hold their jaw strangely, very often to prevent the damaged or infected tooth from being touched.  This can create further stress and tension because the jaw isn't allowed to remain in a relaxed state.  This too can lead to symptoms like headaches.  As a general dentist, if we see any infections or damage, we can treat them right away so that your mouth can return to good health.  By doing so, we can relieve some of the pressure you have been experiencing so that you can become headache-free.

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