Enamel is the hard, protective shell over the surface of your teeth. It is one of the hardest substances in the human body. As strong as enamel is, unfortunately it cannot repair it self very well if it becomes severely damaged.

One way you can help strengthen your enamel is through regular fluoride treatments. Fluoride treatments can help strengthen and repair enamel before it becomes irreversibly damaged from fracture or decay.

Fluoride is a mineral that can be found naturally in food and water. If used in safe doses, this mineral helps strengthen the enamel on your teeth by replacing the nutrients that are lost over time. After the teeth have been exposed to fluoride, they tend to become more resistant to acid damage making them more resistant to cavities.

Fluoride's primary benefit is that it helps prevent tooth decay and can evenreverse enamel damage from cavities that have started to form. Toxins released by cavity forming bacteria “eat” away at the enamel. Fluoride treatments can strengthen enamel by replacing the minerals in the enamel that have been eroded. Fluoride also has the ability to disrupt the growth and activity of cavity forming bacteria. These properties of fluoride can help teeth remain healthy.

Fluoride treatments are especially important for children under the age of six. Even though young children don’t yet have their permanent teeth, fluoride treatments at the appropriate dose can prevent bacteria build-up around the gums, fight gingivitis and help prevent cavities from forming in primary teeth that are difficult to treat if damaged.

Fluoride treatments are even more important if you require special oral care. Anyone who wears braces should receive fluoride treatments regularly to prevent bacteria from getting trapped underneath the wires.

People who are undergoing radiation for cancer in the head or neck should also make it a priority to have fluoride treatments. Radiation can damage the glands in our mouth that produce saliva. Saliva is necessary to neutralize the harmful acids that are released as we chew. If you have less saliva in your mouth, you are more susceptible to tooth decay.