Posted on November 30, 2023

FLOURINATED OR NON-FLOURINATED TOOTH PASTE?

Category:Wellness

In other words, would you prefer a tooth paste with or without fluoride and what exactly is fluoride? Fluoride is natural mineral found in all most everything we see or use on earth. Soil, rocks, some edible foods but mostly water. The same fluoride is beneficial to each of our tooth enamel. It is a strengthener, a tooth decay reversal and also known to be helpful with sensitivity.

Fluoride has 3 types namely;

Sodium fluoride

Stannous fluoride

Sodium monofluorophosphate.

All of which will enable cavity fighting and strengthening but only stannous fluoride will give an added benefit which is to reduce plaque and treat gingivitis.

Our tooth enamel which is the protective layer of tooth is able to lose and gain. When bacteria, plaque and sugars reach the enamel, it will lose its mineral component a term called demineralization whereas when you use toothpaste with fluoride, calcium carbonate, potassium nitrate or drink fluorinated water, eat foods rich in minerals you are gaining mineral for your enamel a term called Remineralization.

Non-fluorinated toothpaste will mainly contain essential oils and additions of some minerals mentioned above apart from fluoride. The choice to use fluorinated or non-fluorinated toothpaste is not only yours, you will need your dentist in this decision so that you do not end up with teeth problems instead. A check with your dentist is advisable every after 3 months because though the teeth do not change easily aside from accidents, slowly by slowly we tend to ruin our teeth unknowingly. It is important to know that even too much remineralisation can also be harmful to the enamel especially with children. Fluoride in toothpaste is measured as agreeable by ADA with children fluoride allowance of 1000ppm while adults get 1350ppm and higher depending on the enamel challenges.

Though fluoride is a powerful ingredient in toothpaste there are some instances you can get rid of fluoride, these include;

• Fluoride allergy.
• The water you use already has a lot of fluoride.
• A child below 2 years that may be found of swallow/eating toothpaste.

Aside from these above, there is no other reason valid enough to leave out fluoride toothpaste. Remember, fluorinated tooth paste is generally recommended but a check with your dentist is the best choice you can make when it comes to your teeth health.