4 Benefits of Fluoride Varnish for Children’s Oral Health

Fluoride has been applicable in dentistry for the last seven decades because of its oral health benefits. A dentist applies fluoride varnish to your children’s outer teeth surface (learn more). Fluoride isn’t a medicine but a naturally formed mineral from the earth’s crust.

To understand what fluoride varnish does to your children’s oral health, you should know its benefits. Here are its key benefits for your children’s oral health:

1.  Strengthen Enamel

Demineralization is one of the initial cavity formation steps. It occurs when bacterial acids start weakening the tooth enamel. Fluoride may stop mineralization and help the tooth to remineralize as the enamel absorbs phosphate and calcium, the enamel’s two key components. With tooth remineralization, fluoride repairs weak enamel areas to strengthen them. Fluoride also helps in delaying tooth decay and can fix the just-started decay.

2.  Maintain Primary Teeth

Your kid’s primary teeth will eventually get lost and replaced by permanent teeth. However, your child’s teeth should stay in place until the replacement occurs naturally. The premature loss of baby teeth because of decay may cause the permanent teeth to get crowded or overlap once they start erupting. As fluoride helps in strengthening tooth enamel and making it more decay-resistant, it helps in preserving the primary teeth and preventing premature tooth loss.

3.  Control Bacteria

Various types of bacteria tend to circulate inside your child’s mouth. Some of these bacteria can be beneficial, but having too much of them may cause tooth decay and gum diseases. Fluoride damages those bacteria, which causes tooth decay. It helps to control the number of bacterias in your kid’s mouth, which diminish the risk of forming cavities.

4.  A Safe Treatment

Medical and health organizations consider fluoride varnish a safe dental treatment. The amount of fluoride content in toothpaste and topical treatments is much less than fluoride in drinking water, juices, and sodas. Most children consume fluoride from drinking water, juices, and sodas. Your child may end up consuming excess fluoride at times. Rarely, your kid may develop brown stains or white spots on teeth that indicate extra fluoride. A dentist can fix the issue if it occurs.

The Bottomline

So, these are the big benefits of fluoride varnish for children’s oral health. It can be a great investment to maintain the primary teeth of your little one. Contact the top dentist in Thornton to get it done soon.