The Fluoride Varnish Timing Game: How Long Should You Keep Fluoride on Your Teeth?
Following the American Dental Association’s advice, your dentist suggests in-office fluoride treatments every quarterly, half-yearly, or annually, especially if you are at high risk of tooth decay and cavities. They might also prescribe a special fluoride rinse for home use if you are susceptible to the problem of tooth decay because of excessive drug or alcohol use, eating disorders, poor dental hygiene, poor diet, decreased saliva or xerostomia, and weak enamel.
When you receive a recommendation from a dentist near you, you might wonder if the dentist is increasing your expenditure and wasting your time by suggesting a treatment as a preventive measure against cavities that affect everyone. However, you will likely thank your dentist when you realize the benefits of fluoride treatments and how they protect you from considerable agony later by expenses and pain.
What Is Fluoride Varnish?
Fluoride varnish is a version of fluoride available on the market that helps strengthen tooth enamel and prevent cavities from developing. Dentists generally provide in-office fluoride treatments using highly concentrated varnish, foam, or gel. Dentists complete treatment in minutes, refraining from eating and drinking for 30 minutes after your treatment. They also inquire into your entire health history to ensure they provide suitable treatment. When you receive in-office fluoride treatment, you might not have to worry about how long to leave fluoride on your teeth because you receive instructions from the dentist about not eating or drinking for half an hour to enable your teeth to absorb the fluoride fully.
Fluoride treatments from the dentist are safe, effective, painless, and affordable. Children receive support from dental insurance if you possess a policy and the insurance provider covers the cost of their treatment. However, adults might have to pay a few dollars for the therapy and must inquire about the prices with the dentist providing the treatment.
If you think you shouldn’t waste money and time on fluoride treatments in the dentist’s office, you can find many fluoride varnish brands from drugstores that might encourage you to use them from home. However, the question that haunts you remains about how long the varnish should stay on your teeth for the best results. It depends on what you try to achieve by ignoring affordable fluoride treatments from a dentist and seeking over-the-counter varnish to save a few dollars.
Several brands are available on the shelves of drugstores, each having a different timeline on how long the varnish must stay on your teeth. The product and brand you choose for your needs dictate the time the varnish must remain on your teeth.
How Long Should Fluoride Varnish Remain on Your Teeth?
When you receive fluoride treatment in port Hueneme, the dentist suggests you leave it on your teeth half an hour before you start eating or drinking, indicating that the fluoride varnish they apply bonds instantly with your teeth after the application.
However, if you prefer over-the-counter fluoride varnish, you face a challenge because different brands have different timelines that restrict you from having certain foods or drinks from four to six hours, including scalding and cold foods and beverages for up to 24 hours depending on every specific brand. In addition, most fluoride varnish brands and treatments from dentists recommend not consuming alcohol or brushing your teeth immediately after receiving fluoride therapy or using fluoride varnish at home to strengthen tooth enamel.
After you apply fluoride varnish to your teeth, you must allow your teeth before the absorb the varnish for the recommended time by the specific brand you pick up for your benefit. Therefore, if you are alternating between brands every quarter, you might follow different suggestions from every manufacturer.
Benefits of Fluoride Varnish Treatments
Fluoride functions by re-restoring lost minerals to your tooth surfaces where bacteria erode them and inhibiting harmful bacteria’s growth from preventing further cavities. Fluoride doesn’t help remove tooth decay but creates a more robust surface on your teeth to prevent mouth bacteria from penetrating its deeper parts to affect the nerves needing expensive and painful root canal treatment.
Therefore if your dentist suggests you get fluoride varnish treatments with them because of your risk factors associated with tooth decay, you find it beneficial to receive professional fluoride treatment from the dentist instead of considering using over-the-counter fluoride brands to wondering how long to leave fluoride varnish on teeth. Dentists ensure you receive a concentrated application of fluoride varnish to strengthen your teeth to help prevent cavities from developing on them.
If you need fluoride treatments and are wondering how long the fluoride must stay on the teeth, All Care Dental by the Sea can end your confusion by providing you with fluoride varnish treatment at their office in a few minutes. Consult them today to receive your fluoride treatment, besides appropriate instructions on how long the varnish needs attention before you start your usual activities.