You may have seen natural toothpaste options which have been appearing lately, some of which are entirely free of fluoride, and you may have wondered whether they offer any real benefits to the user. Your Vienna, MO dental team at Barnhart Dental would like to inform you that, at least in terms of preventing dental problems like tooth decay, these fluoride-free toothpastes are less effective than those which contain fluoride. Since fluoride contributes to the strengthening of tooth enamel, it provides additional protection against tooth decay that a non-fluoride toothpaste lacks.
So why non-fluoride toothpaste?
If there is any advantage to using a fluoride-free toothpaste, it will not have anything to do with protecting your teeth against decay or other problems. Fluoride-free toothpaste may be useful for people who have rare fluoride allergies, or are getting a relatively high intake of fluoride through other sources. For patients who may fall into these categories, be sure to check in with your Barnhart Dental team to discuss your options for preventing tooth decay.
The Drs. Barnhart assure you that while there may be potential benefit of using a fluoride-free toothpaste in the sense of any desired whitening or reducing tooth sensitivity, all of those benefits are also found in fluoridated toothpaste. In terms of offering any real protection against tooth decay or other dental problems, toothpaste with fluoride is simply a better alternative.
