Fluoride Treatment Services in Rochester, MN
Depending on your oral health, you may need dental fluoride treatment in Rochester every 3, 6 or 12 months. Our doctor may also prescribe prescription-strength toothpaste to be used at home. At Blue Sky Dental, we offer both traditional fluoride varnish treatment and Silver Diamine Fluoride (SDF). Both treatments come with their own unique purposes and advantages.
What is Fluoride?
Fluoride is a naturally-occurring mineral. It can be found in tap water and is a key ingredient in most toothpastes. Fluoride supports the health of your enamel and limits the spread of decay, keeping the surface of your teeth strong and healthy.
Both children and adults stand to benefit from fluoride treatment, but fluoride is most beneficial for kids at a young age to help develop healthy enamel in unerupted adult teeth and protect weaker enamel in baby teeth.
Fluoride Varnish
Fluoride varnish is a treatment that is used to prevent cavities. This topical treatment has a high concentration of the mineral, much more potent than your tap water or even toothpaste.
Blue Sky Dental offers fluoride varnish in a variety of flavors, making the experience as enjoyable as possible! We advise our patients to avoid crunchy foods, hot drinks and alcoholic beverages for 4-6 hours after fluoride treatments to ensure the efficacy of the treatment.
Silver Diamine Fluoride
Another treatment we offer is Silver Diamine Fluoride (SDF), a more aggressive treatment than a preventative fluoride varnish. SDF is used to kill the bacteria that causes decay, so cavities are stopped from expanding. The fluoride component of SDF strengthens the teeth, but silver is the primary active ingredient.
If there is a small area of decay, an SDF treatment can be done instead of a filling. It only takes a minute to paint onto the tooth, and the needle-free process is completely painless. This makes SDF a great alternative to fillings for the treatment of small cavities, especially in children, patients with special needs, and a handful of other instances.
Before we recommend SDF to any of our patients, we make sure our patients are aware that SDF can stain decay in teeth a brown/black color, so its use is avoided on areas visible when smiling.
Make an appointment for dental topical services in Rochester, MN today to see if you would benefit from either of our dental fluoride treatments.
