Flouride for Adults

Careful, I hear you. What now! Fluoride is for kids. Well, in so many words, wrong. Most kids have very little decay these days. So here is how this fluoride thing works. As a person grows older the gums recede and the soft root surface is exposed. A root surface is only about half as hard as enamel and prone to decay. To make matters worse the root surface is where the most plaque accumulates. Plus, as we grow older and a little arthritis set in, our brushing skills decline. This all adds up to a bad situation. Then the unthinkable happens. The root surface decays. If you are lucky and the decay is very small, it can be restored. Often and even worse the decay is where a crown meets the tooth. Up and under the crown the decays goes and a new crown is necessary to stop the decay. Do not despair. Smart Encino dentists like myself push hard for fluoride treatments for all our adult patients. Sometime we add 3x strength fluoride toothpaste to the regimen. In my dental office the “gold standard” is a fluoride treatment, a prescription for Prevident toothpaste and a Sonicare toothbrush. I believe that gives you cheap insurance to keep everything healthy and happy. My tip of the day is this. ”Brush up and down and all around, but do the gum lines twice”       Best regards,    AM