We offer fluoride to all of our patients, children and adults, at each teeth cleaning visit to help prevent cavities and to reduce tooth sensitivity.
Fluoride helps strengthen the tooth’s enamel, making it more resistant to acids and bacteria, which means less tooth decay or cavities. Fluoride also reduces tooth sensitivity on roots that are exposed due to gum recession, clenching and grinding.
A little bit of fluoride goes a long way and we believe that fluoride’s predominant affect occur when they are in direct contact with teeth so we only apply Fluoride topically. Fluoride that’s given systemically can lead to Fluorosis, which causes teeth to be discolored, look spotted, pitted or stained. Therefore, we don’t recommend our patients to take fluoride orally.
To reduce consumption of fluoride, avoid swallowing toothpaste and other dental hygiene products and avoid drinking overly fluoridated water.  Children are especially vulnerable to fluorosis, so we recommend that they use only a pea-size amount of toothpaste and should be supervised while brushing their teeth until about seven years old.