Despite the fall in the prevalence of dental caries that occurs in some highly – developed countries, tooth decay still remains the most common dental problems among people. Caries occurs when pathological factors prevail over the protective factors. Visit Dr. Carol in Toronto to find out more.
Pathological factors include the bacteria that produce acid, then the reduced secretion of saliva, which may be caused as a result of dysfunction of the salivary glands, as well as the use of certain medications and inadequate diet that includes eating a greater amount of fermentable carbohydrates. Protective factors most often calcium, phosphates, and proteins in the saliva, as well as an additional protective action that is taken to ensure that an appropriate quantity of saliva is present in the mouth and antiseptic and antibacterial agents used to clean the mouth.
Regardless of all these protective factors, today the fluoride intake on a daily basis is considered a key factor of every modern preventive program for the control of dental caries in children and adults.
Fluorides act in a way that prevents demineralization, which represents the first phase of each process that causes carries, it promotes remineralization of the teeth and stops the growth of bacteria that are responsible for the development of diseases.
Fluoride can be incorporated into the structure of the teeth during the phase of teeth development.
Researches confirm that the effect of fluoride is mostly visible on the surface of the teeth.
Widespread in the use of fluoridated toothpastes is probably one of the main reasons for the dramatic reducing in tooth decay in the last 30 years in some countries. It can be said that brushing teeth with fluoride toothpaste is the ideal method that is suitable for use, inexpensive, and widely accepted. Parents must strictly observe that children should not use greater amount of toothpaste (greater than the size of a pea). After thorough brushing, children should spit out the rest of the toothpaste and avoid direct flushing with water, and eating meals immediately after brushing. Toothbrushes for children can be manual or electric, but with a small head and soft bristles.
Toothpastes may have different concentrations of fluoride and it is important to know what kind of paste your child and you can benefit according to your age. The application can be divided into three groups. In children aged from six months to two years it is expected to perform brushing twice a day with the amount of paste in the shape of a pea using toothpaste that has fluoride concentration of 500 ppm F. Children aged from two to six years also need to brush their teeth twice a day using the same amount of paste, but in higher concentrations of fluoride, in 1000 (+) ppm F. Children aged older than six years should also brush their teeth twice a day using the amount of toothpaste in a length of 1 to 2 cm and a fluoride concentration of 1450 ppm F.
