FLUOROSIS

Have you noticed, your friends, family or even your coworkers teeth with white spots, yellow and brown spots, surface irregularities, fine white lines, spits that are highly noticeable ???

These are the signs that your teeth are suffering from symptoms of fluorosis!!!! Fluorosis, something not heard quite often??? We always come to a conclusion, if spots are present, the individual is not maintaining a good oral hygiene. What if we tell you it’s not true, instead its due to negligence.

First and foremost what is Fluorosis ??? excessive accumulation of fluoride in the bones and joints. It can easily develop due to overexposure to fluoride especially the first 8 years of life especially for teeth. This is when permanent teeth are being formed.

Fluorosis is generally associated with teeth BUT do you know it actually can happen to any part of the bones. Guess we should start paying attention to this disease.

For today, let's talk about fluorosis affecting the teeth ?

WHAT CAUSES FLUOROSIS ?

If you notice, especially during childhood, we usually consume or swallow inappropriate amount of toothpaste / mouthrinse because usually children enjoy the taste so much that they swallow it instead of spitting it out. Although it is safe to swallow, it has the right amount of consumption , excessive of fluorosis not good for the development of our permanent tooth.

The myth that has been going on for ages is the amount of toothpaste correlates to the shade of our teeth. The amount of toothpaste that is allowed is actually pea size. Consumption of fluoride for adults is only 3- 4 milligrams per day.

Fluoride is a mineral that is present in our water. Its present in our drinking water whether we brush or not. Not forgetting fluoride is also present in our food especially, yam, cheese, red meats fish and in canned food.

HOW TO PREVENT ?

“Prevention is better than cure” is the tagline we would have probably heard everywhere and everytime. As a parent you need to be aware of your child's dental health. This is because parents, guardians, adults are the role model to guide children to practice proper dental hygiene. Good brushing is required not amount of toothpaste or the time of brushing. Brushing twice a day but with improper technique doesn’t make any difference in preventing. Fluoride is necessary and we do get adequate amount from daily intake, so let’s focus on how to prevent them from exceeding.

If you want to learn more about how fluoride can help to protect your teeth or if you’re unsure about how much you really need to have in your diet or toothpaste , make an appointment with your dentist to discuss it. The dental professionals who take care of your oral health know your dental habits and specific needs better than anyone else, and therefore can give you advice that is tailor made for you.