Picking Your Paste: A No-Nonsense Guide to Fluoride Toothpaste
Imagine a simple, cost-effective way to protect your teeth from decay for a lifetime. That's essentially the story of fluoride. From your childhood dentist visits to the toothpaste you use every morning, this mineral is the unsung hero of preventative dentistry. But how exactly does it work to create that super-strong enamel shield? If you've ever wondered about the true power behind this common substance and how you can maximise its benefits for a healthier mouth, you're in the right place. We'll explore the history, the mechanism, and the best ways to incorporate fluoride into your daily routine.
What is Fluoride?
As a trace element, fluoride is a powerful but tiny component of human biology. It is a natural part of our composition, with small amounts present throughout the body and the majority incorporated into our skeletal tissue and dental enamel. Its function is to increase the stability and resistance of these tissues.
Though most foods contain only trace amounts, fluoride is naturally found in the environment and is absorbed by the food we consume. The most potent natural dietary sources are: Black Tea (due to concentration in the leaves), Seafood (especially shellfish like prawns and crab), and Water from natural sources. Other natural food sources include potatoes and grapes/raisins.
What does Fluoride do to your teeth?
Fluoride protects your teeth in three key ways:
It Strengthens: It makes the outer enamel layer tougher and more resistant to acid.
It Repairs: It helps minerals lost to acid attacks (demineralization) quickly jump back into the tooth structure (remineralization).
It Inhibits Bacteria: It interferes with the ability of cavity-causing bacteria to produce harmful acids in the first place, slowing down the entire decay process.
Is Fluoride safe?
To benefit from fluoride, allow it to remain on your teeth and spit out the excess. Topical exposure is safe and essential for remineralization. The risk only emerges from deliberate or accidental ingestion of large quantities. For most people, consuming an amount that causes acute toxicity (such as severe illness) is rare and requires swallowing a minimum of 5 mg of fluoride for every kilogram of your body weight. This is a massive dose—for a 15 kg child, this threshold is over 75 mg of fluoride—underscoring that normal brushing and rinsing are safe practices
Dental professionals recommend stepping up fluoride concentration as children age. For those under 6 years old, select a children's toothpaste with approximately 1000 ppm fluoride, using just a tiny smear/pea-sized amount and ensuring they spit. Once the child turns 6 or older, a higher-strength toothpaste, typically 1450 ppm (the concentration common in standard adult pastes), should be used, applied in a pea-sized quantity. This tiered approach delivers the right level of topical protection for all stages of life.