How are Teeth Affected by Fluorides and Acids?

Chances are that you’re heard a lot about the importance of fluoride for overall oral health, although you may not understand the specific mechanisms by which the compound helps protect your mouth. On a molecular level, the outer layer of your teeth is composed of enamel which is a series of layers of minerals. In order to ensure your oral health, it is important to help neutralize any acids in your mouth which can harm the enamel when the pH level in your mouth gets too low. The compound, therefore, is an important way to protect your mouth from potential damaging acidity levels.

Fluoride acts to balance the acidity level in your mouth to prevent tooth decay by helping to build up the healthy materials of your teeth, along with other compounds such as calcium and phosphate. As a result, fluoride acts as a countervailing force against acids which can harm your teeth when it is applied directly to your teeth and indirectly enters through your bloodstream. Many municipalities add traces of fluoride to the water supply for this reason, and many brands of toothpaste prominently feature added fluoride. In cities which don’t have fluoride in their water supply, dentists recommend that patients supplement their oral health routines with fluoride-based compounds to ensure the acids in the mouth are properly neutralized.

While your diet can certainly impact the formation of acids, which result from chains of sugars that attract bacteria into your mouth, a certain level of acidity in the mouth is unavoidable. In order to protect your mouth against these compounds, it is necessary to help build up your enamel to protect your teeth against decay and damage caused by acids. The outer enamel layer of the teeth is highly sensitive to damage from sugars and the resulting acids, which can erode the healthy layers of the teeth. Preventing tooth decay through fluoride supplements is therefore a core part of overall oral health, and dentists highly recommend concentrated fluoride treatments during checkups to help neutralize the effects of sugars. Many dental professionals recommend that children under 16 years old should ensure proper intake of fluoride through toothpaste and mouthwash supplements to lower the risk from cavities and tooth decay. The teeth are in a particularly sensitive state during childhood, and moderate doses of fluoride are an effective oral treatment.

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