Though fluoride is a necessary part of dental care, can you use too much? Yes, you can use too much fluoride. Using too much fluoride contributes to a disorder known as fluorosis. If you’ve looked in the mirror lately, you may have noticed little white specs on your teeth. These discolored spots are a result of having too much fluoride in your dental care routine. In most cases of fluorosis, these spots are benign. However, fluorosis could develop into a serious problem.
Advanced fluorosis creates darker stains on the teeth. These brown stains are much more severe than the little white spots you may have on your teeth. Advanced fluorosis can actually lead to your teeth decaying quicker than normal. Pitted tooth surfaces from advanced fluorosis can be solved. However, the best way to avoid fluorosis is to monitor the amount of fluoride you use.
How to Avoid Fluorosis Stains
While many of us have minor fluorosis stains, you may wonder how to get rid of them and avoid advanced fluorosis. Fortunately, minor fluorosis stains are only cosmetic. Fluorosis develops in children with developing teeth. The easiest way to avoid fluorosis in children is to keep track of how long they use fluoride products and their strength. If a child uses strongly fluorinated products, they are at risk. Typically, the toothpaste and mouthwash children use contributes to all of their fluoride intakes. If a child brushes their teeth too often or uses mouthwash multiple times a day, they could develop fluorosis.
At our office, we take pediatric dentistry seriously. We’ll avoid giving your child too much fluoride as their teeth develop. If you’re an adult with fluorosis stains, we can help treat you. We provide tooth bleaching and other methods to get rid of the staining. If you’re interested, give us a call. We can help you or your child with fluorosis stains.
