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Effects of Fluoride in Teeth Cleaning

Teeth consist of four tissues or components. The upper portion of the tooth, or crown, is covered by hard enamel. The softer dentin, located within the crown and extending to the root tips, is covered by the next component, cementum. The fourth tissue, the pulp, lies within the dentin. Fluoride used in teeth cleaning affects each of these areas.

  1. Decay Prevention

    • Fluoride reduces bacteria's ability to produce acid, a metabolic byproduct of carbohydrates. Acid causes demineralization or erosion of the hard enamel surface of your teeth, and if left untreated, it eats its way through the dentin and the pulp. Decay-causing bacteria thrive in dental plaque, a sticky film that adheres to your teeth. Besides bacteria, plaque contains food particles, minerals, proteins and carbohydrates.

    Remineralization

    • Fluoride used in teeth cleaning, added to drinking water, mouthwash and other products accumulates and is retained in dental plaque and saliva. The accumulated fluoride works with saliva to remineralize teeth by replacing calcium and phosphate, two of the minerals depleted by demineralization during the process of decay. Remineralization not only slows the progression of demineralization, it strengthens teeth and makes them more resistant to decay. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), remineralization also reverses tooth decay in its initial stages.

    Desensitizes

    • Fluoride protects and desensitizes the dentin by increasing the natural mineral properties in the root area, making it less susceptible to decay and pain. When exposed to cariogenic bacteria -- the organisms that cause tooth decay -- this softer area of your tooth structure decays rapidly. Exposure of the dentin typically occurs when gum tissue recedes as the result of poor oral hygiene or disease.

    Fluoride Toxicity and Tooth Defects

    • As beneficial as fluoride is, it also causes harm under specific conditions. Overdoses of fluoride are toxic. Fluoride toxicity occurs in children exposed to excessive use of fluoride supplementation and children under the age of 6 who swallow large amounts of fluoride toothpaste. Colgate recommends that the amount of toothpaste used by children younger than age 6 be limited to the size of a pea.

      Fluorosis occurs with excessive intake of fluoride during tooth formation, according to the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. This irreversible condition causes deficiencies in enamel mineralization resulting in white spots or streaks and, in severe cases, brown discoloration appearing on teeth. The amount of fluoride consumed daily is higher than realized, because it is not only found in water, toothpaste and mouthwash. Other products containing fluoride include soft drinks, fruit juices, canned goods, infant formula diluted with fluoridated water, fish, cereal, tea, wine and beer, according to the Fluoride Action Network.

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