A look at the science of preventing cavities with fluoride
Fluoridated water, fluoride toothpaste, fluoride varnish, fluoride supplements…
THE FLUORIDE IONS IN ALL OF THESE CAVITY PREVENTION TOOLS HAVE SOMETHING OUT OF THIS WORLD IN COMMON…
CAVITY-FIGHTING STARDUST
All fluoride on Earth comes from the stars! Including fluoride in water. But not just any stars. Astrophysicists say fluoride is made in three types: stars that have gone supernova, asymptomatic giant branch stars (a type of red giant), and Wolf-Rayets (massive stars 20 times bigger than the sun).
How much fluoride do these stars make? Not much. Fluorine (fluoride’s parent element) occurs relatively rarely in the universe, as hydrogen fluoride. It is the 24th most abundant element in the universe.
Compared to the universe, Earth is enriched in fluoride. Fluorine is the 13th most abundant element in the Earth’s crust. Most of that F occurs as calcium fluoride and fluorapatite, which is mined for the fluoride used in community water fluoridation, fluoride toothpaste, fluoride varnish, fluoride drops and tablets, and all forms of fluoride we use to fight cavities.
THE CHEMISTRY BETWEEN FLUORIDE AND TEETH
Fluoride is good for the chemistry of tooth enamel.
Water with a little bit of fluoride in it …
Toothpaste containing sodium fluoride, stannous fluoride or sodium monofluorophospate that release fluoride ions …
Fluoride supplements, whether drops or tablets, which can be gotten from your dentist or doctor for kids who don’t have fluoridated drinking water …
Getting fluoride varnish in the dentist office with a hygienist or with your pediatrician …
All of these forms of fluoride prevent demineralization and enhance remineralization.
Brushing with fluoride toothpaste delivers fluoride ions to your teeth to fight cavities, while you are also breaking up the plaque that causes gingivitis and gum disease.
Drinking fluoridated water delivers fluoride to your teeth all day long. Fluoride ions are available to fight cavities whenever you take a sip, not just when you brush.
Fluoride supplements come as drops or tablets, and are only available by prescription. Supplements are for babies and kids who do not have fluoridated water.
Fluoride varnish provides concentrated fluoride to your teeth for weeks to months. Varnish fights cavities with calcium fluoride deposits that slowly release fluoride ions.
Fluoride replaces OH groups,
making a stronger, less soluble dental mineral.
Fluoride toothpaste and fluoridated water work together, ensuring a little fluoride is in saliva to fight cavities all day.
Fluoride in water also makes kids’ pits and fissures stronger while teeth are still forming under the gumline.
When kids don’t have fluoridated water, fluoride supplements also make the pits and fissures in their permanent teeth stronger while they’re still developing under the gumline.
And fluoride varnish is a great periodic treatment for kids who are at risk of cavities. It can be helpful for adults, too!
References
- Fluorine: an element-ary mystery
- Fluorine-rich planetary environments as possible habitats for life
- Fluoride in the Earth and the solar system, where does it come from and can it be found?
- The stellar origins of your toothpaste
- Are we made of stardust?
- Mechanism of action of fluoride
- Enamel remineralization: controlling the caries disease or treating early caries lesions?
- Minerals: fluoride – from the Linus Pauling Institute’s Micronutrient Information Center
- Fluoride: fact sheet for health professionals – from the National Institutes of Health
- Fluoride varnish: an evidence-based approach – research brief
- Fluoride use in caries prevention in the primary care setting
- Fluoride: Topical and systemic supplements