FLUORIDE TREATMENTS in Muskegon

What is Dental Fluoride?

Fluoride is a mineral that is naturally found in nature and has been proven to strengthen and protect the teeth from the acids produced by the bacteria in our mouths. While we do get fluoride in a limited amount from the water we drink, the foods we eat, numerous studies show that there are a multitude of situations where adding fluoride preventively will further strengthen your teeth and help to prevent cavities.

Dr. James R. Donley of Lumbertown Dental Wellness in North Muskegon, MI encourages all of his patients – unless they have a thyroid problem – to do a fluoride treatment right after their teeth cleaning. The surfaces of the teeth are clean and very receptive to the fluoride varnish then. We use a paint-on varnish that is sticky and sits on the teeth for a few minutes.  We encourage you to leave it on the teeth as long as possible without rinsing or brushing or eating to allow it to integrate into the outer surface of the teeth.

Isn’t the Water Here in Muskegon Fluoridated?

The city water in the Muskegon area has been fluoridated for the past 70 years! Dr. Donley claims he can tell when someone grew up here versus someone who didn’t, because they tend to have significantly fewer cavities! Systemic fluoride in low dosages, particularly when your teeth are developing, is beneficial. Once the teeth are formed, it needs to be applied on the outside layer of the tooth to be effective. The fluoride helps to remineralize the outer layer of the enamel thereby making them more resistant to decay.

Who Could Benefit From Topical Fluoride?

Certain types of patients can benefit from fluoride even more than others. This includes, but certainly is not limited to: diabetics, nursing mothers, people undergoing radiation, people who grind or clench their teeth, people who drink a lot of acidic drinks, people who don’t like to floss, people who eat a lot of candy or drink acidic drinks, and lastly, people that get a lot of gumline decay, especially if they have a lot of restorations in their mouth.

We also encourage our patients with braces to use a type of fluoride rinse to minimize the chances of demineralization around the edges of brackets that could lead to white spots on the teeth after treatment. 

One of the home care products we encourage our patients to use, is the Cari-Free® product line of rinses and tooth paste to help introduce Xylitol into your mouth. This is a sugar alcohol that the bacteria in your mouth like, but they can’t convert it to an acid producing byproduct, thereby providing a healthier environment in your mouth.

Be sure to ask us about fluoride at your next Wellness Visit!