Fluoride – a mineral that is essential to healthy tooth enamel – is present in the food and water that we eat and drink every day.
Healthy tooth enamel is threatened by acids and bacteria in your mouth. Acids are formed when plaque develops and bacteria and sugars in our mouth are a result of an imbalanced diet.
Fluoride helps prevent tooth decay by making the tooth more resistant to acid attacks from plaque, and decay from bacteria and sugars. It can even reverse early decay of tooth enamel. In children under 6 years of age, fluoride becomes incorporated into the development of permanent teeth, making it difficult for acids to demineralize the teeth. Fluoride also helps speed remineralization as well as disrupts acid production in already erupted teeth of both children and adults.