Fluoride & Dental Health

Overview

Fluoride (said like floor-eyed) is a mineral that occurs naturally in soil, water, and rocks that has been shown to prevent cavities, or tooth decay. For the past several decades, fluoride has been added to community water supplies and oral care products such as toothpaste and mouth rinse. Fluoride works by strengthening the tooth’s hard outer surface called enamel.

You can get fluoride by drinking tap water in communities where the public water system adds fluoride and by using fluoride toothpaste and mouth rinse, as well as from certain foods and beverages. In the dental office, a dentist can apply fluoride varnish or gel, and in some public health programs, children can have fluoride varnish applied to their teeth.

Fluoride can prevent tooth decay across the lifespan. Fluoride hardens teeth as they form under our gums before we are born. Both children and adults benefit from it.

Helpful Tips

• The amount of fluoride in your water depends on your water source. Although some bottled waters have the recommended amount of fluoride, many do not. Fluoride levels vary depending on if you receive water from the public water system or well water. If you are interested in finding out the amount of fluoride in your community’s water, check with your local water utility company.
• Brush with a fluoride toothpaste twice a day, floss regularly, and see a dentist for routine check-ups.
• Ask your child’s dentist or doctor about fluoride toothpaste use. You should not use fluoride toothpaste for children younger than age 2 unless you have been advised to do so by a dentist or doctor.

Additional Resources

• The Tooth Decay Process: How to Reverse It and Avoid a Cavity
  Information from NIDCR about the factors contributing to dental decay and maintaining oral health. 
• The NIH Office of Dietary Supplements has fact sheets on fluoride: one for health professionals and one for consumers (available in English and Spanish).
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Water Fluoridation page 
  An overview of community water fluoridation that provides information about benefits, safety, statistics, other fluoride products, guidelines and recommendations.
• My Water's Fluoride (CDC) 
  My Water's Fluoride allows consumers to learn about the fluoride level in their drinking water.
• The Story of Fluoridation 
  The story of how dental science discovered, and ultimately proved to the world, that fluoride, a mineral found in rocks and soil, prevents tooth decay.
• MedlinePlus: Fluoride 
  The NIH National Library of Medicine's collection of links to government, professional and non-profit/voluntary organizations with information on water fluoridation.
• Fluoridated Water
  Common cancer myths and misconceptions from the National Cancer Institute (NCI).