Fluoride therapy is defined as the local application of fluoride to tooth surfaces periodically to increase their resistance to caries. Periodic application of fluoride in the dental office significantly decreases dental caries and arrests incipient caries in children and adults. Therefore, the professional use of local fluoride is recommended to decrease the dental caries rate.
Newly erupted permanent teeth are more susceptible to dental caries. On the other hand, children’s low dexterity and accuracy in toothbrushing increase the risk of dental caries.
The first permanent molar tooth erupts at around 6 years of age. This tooth is more likely to become carious than other permanent teeth. The eruption of the permanent first molar tooth is not associated with the shedding of any deciduous tooth. Therefore, unfortunately, many parents are not aware of the eruption of this important tooth in their children’s mouth and believe that it is a deciduous tooth, ignoring its carious lesions. As a result, these teeth usually become carious and sometimes even before their full eruption. Therefore, even in the absence of dental caries, fissure sealants and fluoride therapy are recommended in children to increase the resistance of these teeth to caries.
During fluoride therapy, the dentist applies fluoride to the tooth surfaces in the form of a gel or varnish. It is recommended that fluoride therapy in the dental office by a dental practitioner be carried out after all the deciduous teeth erupt and repeated every 3–6 months, depending on the situation and children’s caries index.
A Guide for Care after Fluoride Therapy with Sodium Fluoride
Fluoride therapy can be applied to deciduous and permanent teeth. Fluoride therapy with fluoride varnish can be applied from 2 years of age. Therefore, the necessary care after fluoride therapy is recommended here:
- The patient should avoid eating, drinking, and rinsing the oral cavity for 30 minutes.
- The patient should avoid abrasive food until morning the next day.
- The patient should avoid toothbrushing until morning the next day.
- Tooth discoloration is temporary and will disappear in 24 hours, returning to normal.
- Fluoride therapy should be repeated every 3–6 months, depending on the situation and the child’s caries index.
A guide for Care after Fluoride Therapy with a Fluoride Gel
- The patient should avoid eating, drinking, and rining the oral cavity for thirty minutes.
- If necessary, it is recommended that the patient drink a cup of milk after 30 minutes.
- Fluoride therapy should be repeated every 3–6 months, depending on the situation and the child’s caries index.
