Fluoride is a mineral that years ago, like calcium, was found to adhere to teeth. Used appropriately, fluoride can be very beneficial to people and their teeth of all ages (no…it’s not just for kids…anyone with a tooth in his or her mouth will benefit from fluoride).
Today, fluoride is added to public municipal water systems, toothpastes and mouth washes to name a few. Fluoride levels in city water systems is in a concentration low enough that it will not have harmful effects on the rest of the body. Fluoride levels in toothpastes and mouth washes is higher; these products should be applied to the teeth when brushing or rinsing and then any residual amounts should be spit out (expectorated). Swallowing large concentrations of fluoride can have an ill effect on the liver as well as the growing tooth structure of children (fluorosis: a darkening effect on developing teeth, appearing as “blotches” or bands on the enamel).
Imagine seeing a tooth under the high magnification of a microscope…the surface would appear “honeycomb” like. Think now of fluoride as millions of little particles under the microscope that fill these honeycomb pores of enamel, almost acting like a polyurethane varnish on a table top. The harder the enamel/the denser the surface is, the less chance of decay-“a hole” forming in the tooth.
So, use fluoride the right way when thinking of toothpastes or dental rinses…apply it to the teeth, let it sit on the surface of the enamel and spit out the excess.