Last week one of our longtime patients, Mrs. P., asked me a very good question. “Since I’ve been getting the fluoride treatments with my cleanings,I’ve hardly had any more cavities. Why haven’t you been doing this all along?”
That’s a great question! Many dentists, including me, were taught that fluoride treatments on adults had very minimal benefits, if any. With the way fluoride use to be applied, that’s right. But things have changed. There has been a lot of research and product advances to help adults get the same, or even greater, benefits than children get.
For adults, the fluoride helps protect the roots of your teeth, which is where most decay happens. If you have a crown and the decay starts on the root and progresses deep under the crown, you have to replace the crown. If the fluoride prevents your root cavity, you also avoided replacing one of your crowns.
I have encouraged preventive dentistry for all of our patients for my entire career. We see the benefits daily. If you are an adult, especially if you have crowns, make sure you are getting your fluoride treatment at every cleaning appointment. It will help save you time, money, and possible discomfort.
We want you to be like Mrs. P., who truly appreciates how the fluoride treatments cut down her cavities to almost zero!
In the Interest of Better Dental Health,
Dr. Chuck
