15 Mar

What are the facts about fluoride? Central London dentists give expert advice

Fluoride is a chemical that is extensively used in dentistry because of its capacity to strengthen your teeth. Like lots of things, however, it is not without controversy and many people are anxious to know the facts about fluoride.
You will be likely to come across fluoride in two particular settings. The one that you are probably aware of is in tooth pastes. Many tooth pastes are enriched with fluoride because of its quality of strengthening your teeth. It does this by strengthening your enamel, the hard, protective outer layer of your teeth. This is your teeth’s first line of defence against attack from acids which can cause cavities and decay.
It is likely that you are consuming fluoride too in the water that you drink from your taps. When governments began to add fluoride to the water supply there was some controversy over this move and indeed one can still find campaign groups today that are against it. Dentists agree on the benefits of fluoride to teeth and the health risks are minimal. There is a condition which can develop in infants if they consume too much fluoride but it requires a significant amount to be consumed, more than is present in peoples’ every day water supply.
Dentists recommend that those residing in ‘low fluoride’ areas actually take fluoride supplements and that people don’t only drink bottled water. Instead they should also take tap water because of the fluoride content.
If you are concerned about any of the issues connected to the use of fluoride then you should contact your Central London dentist; they are experts in the issue and will be able to give you all the facts.