Overview

Fluorine, a trace element, is a halogen like chlorine, bromine, and iodine. You can find fluoride everywhere throughout nature. The major source of ingested fluoride is water, particularly from deep artesian wells.

Usually found in soils rich in fluorspar (calcium fluoride), cryolite (sodium aluminum fluoride), and other minerals. Also found in plants, foodstuffs, and body tissues. When it comes to humans, we found it mainly in calcified structures like teeth and the skeleton.

Dental and oral diseases are important public health problems: pain, disability, and handicap resulting from them are common, and the costs of treatment are a major problem. It is one of the most efficient elements in the prevention of dental decay.

Fluoride reduces the incidence of dental caries and slows or reverses the progression of existing ones. Fluoride has made an enormous contribution to declines in dental caries.

What is Fluoride?

Fluoride is a mineral in your bones and teeth. Also found naturally in the following:

• Water
• Soil
• Plants
• Rocks
• Air

Commonly used in dentistry to strengthen enamel, which is the outer layer of your teeth. It helps to prevent cavities.
It is often called nature’s cavity fighter and for good reason.

Fluoride, a naturally-occurring mineral, helps prevent cavities in children and adults by making the outer surface of your teeth (enamel) more resistant to the acid attacks that cause tooth decay.

What is Fluoride Used for?

In the context of human health, it is mainly used to improve dental health. You can sometimes find it in your local water supply and many over-the-counter (OTC) products, including:

• Toothpaste
• Mouth rinses
• Supplements

If you tend to get a lot of cavities, your dentist might suggest using it in a mouth rinse. These rinses usually have a higher concentration of F⁻ than OTC options do.
It is also used:

• In medical imaging scans, such as PET Scans
• As a cleaning agent
• In pesticides
• To make Teflon, steel, and aluminum products.

Facts and Myths of Fluoride

Fact 1

Fluoride occurs naturally in water, though usually not at a high enough level to protect teeth. It is a mineral that exists naturally in all water supplies: lakes, rivers, and groundwater. Some communities have enough of it naturally in their water to prevent tooth decay. But most communities must add a small amount of It to reach the recommended level.

Fact 2

Fluoride has been recognized as an important nutrient for healthy teeth. It is a mineral and in the right amount in drinking water strengthens teeth. It is also not a medication.

Fact 3

Community water fluoridation is the most cost-effective way to protect oral health and advance health equity.

Fluoridation is the least expensive way to provide everyone in the same community with a proven form of cavity prevention.

Fact 4

Fluoridation is a public health measure, a modest community-wide investment that benefits everyone.