- What are the causes of tooth sensitivity in the cooler weather?
- How seasonal diet changes can increase the need for fluoride
- The benefits of fluoride for healthy teeth in the fall
- How is fluoride used to prevent tooth decay?
- Yonge Eglinton Dental: Expert dental care for tooth sensitivity
As the temperatures begin to drop with the arrival of fall in Toronto, many people’s thoughts turn to falling leaves, Halloween treats, and spending time with loved ones over Thanksgiving.
However, they may also notice something else with the cooler temperatures: teeth sensitivity leading to tooth pain. It is a somewhat common occurrence at this time of year that can be alleviated with a fluoride treatment at your dentist’s office.
What are the causes of tooth sensitivity in the cooler weather?
Simply put, you may be experiencing tooth sensitivity in the fall because your teeth are getting older. Tiny cracks form in the hard layer of enamel protecting the soft, sensitive tissue underneath, known as dentin. When you breathe in through your mouth during cooler weather, the cold air can stimulate the dentin, causing pain. You may also experience pain when drinking very hot or cold beverages.
Visiting your Toronto family dentist for tooth pain is your best option for helping fix this situation. Your dental health team can recommend a variety of options, including an in-office fluoride treatment.
How seasonal diet changes can increase the need for fluoride
For many people, fall is a time to embrace comfort food as they bid goodbye to summertime fun for another year. We tend to wrap our hands around a hot, soothing pumpkin-spiced latte, dig into grandma’s apple pie (with ice cream!) at Thanksgiving, and raid the Halloween basket during trick or treating.
As much comfort as these foods might seem to bring, they are anything but comfortable for our teeth. Sticky candy and sweet goodies can leave sugary residue in our mouths long after we eat them. This sugar will combine with the bacteria naturally present in our mouths to form enamel-eating acids, which, if left unchecked, can lead to tooth sensitivity, dental caries (cavities), and other problematic dental issues.
Sweetened lattes and sugary drinks can also result in damaged enamel. Additionally, orange juice, lemonade, and other fruit drinks contain high amounts of acids that promote tooth decay.
Although following a fall oral care routine with regular brushing and flossing can do wonders to combat acids, fluoride treatments for fall give your oral health a much-needed boost.
The benefits of fluoride for healthy teeth in the fall
Dentists often recommend fluoride treatments because there is a direct correlation between fluoride and tooth strength. In other words, in-office fluoride treatments can help with teeth sensitivity and prevent tooth decay.
Here are some of the benefits that fluoride treatments in the fall can bring:
Fluoride protects your tooth enamel
As mentioned, seasonal nutrition plans are not always the most tooth-friendly. Once the enamel is compromised, tooth sensitivity can result, leading to tooth pain that will only get worse as the thermometer falls during the winter – and Toronto winters are not exactly balmy.
Fluoride helps protect tooth enamel from the damage caused by acids, reducing the chances of tooth sensitivity, tooth pain, and tooth decay.
Fluoride adds minerals to your teeth
Acids not only eat into tooth enamel but also destroy minerals such as calcium and phosphorus that are vital to your teeth’s structure. This demineralizing of your teeth can be devastating to your oral health.
Once again, fluoride comes to the rescue! Fluoride treatments add these critical minerals back into your teeth, helping to rebuild the damage caused by acids and reverse the signs of tooth decay. Remineralization is the ticket to strong, healthy teeth, and fluoride is the best way to do it.
Fluoride is an all-natural solution to fight tooth sensitivity
Many people believe that fluoride is a manufactured chemical. However, the truth is that it is a naturally occurring mineral found in oceans, groundwater, soil, plants, rocks, and even in our bones and teeth. It is also added to many municipal water supplies, including here in Toronto, where levels are regulated in Ontario under the Safe Drinking Water
Act administered by the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation, and Parks.
Fluoride is a natural, organic, and effective way to prevent tooth decay and preserve your oral health.
Fluoride treatments reduce your number of dental visits
At Yonge Eglinton Dental, we do everything we can to make you feel safe, comfortable, and welcome in our offices so you look forward to visiting us. However, we are also concerned about helping you have healthy teeth to minimize the number of times you see us between regular dental checkups.
Fluoride treatments offer the perfect solution for fighting tooth decay and cavities, so you spend less time seeking dental treatment between scheduled visits and more time doing other things you love to do.
How is fluoride used to prevent tooth decay?
There are two main ways that fluoride can be applied to promote healthy teeth:
Systemic fluoride treatments
Systemic fluoride treatments are swallowed. Examples of these treatments include fluoride-treated drinking water and dietary fluoride supplements.
Topical fluoride treatments
These treatments are not swallowed but are applied directly to your tooth enamel. Topical fluoride treatments include fluoride paste used in your dentist’s office and fluoride toothpaste and mouthwash you use at home.
Yonge Eglinton Dental: Expert dental care for tooth sensitivity
Brushing with fluoride toothpaste and rinsing with fluoride mouthwash are effective at-home fluoride treatments. However, in-office fluoride treatments to help prevent cavities are also crucial during your regular checkup.
When you are ready to explore the benefits of seasonal fluoride care, the team at Yonge Eglinton Dental is ready to help you have a bright, beautiful smile that will last all season long!
Book your fluoride treatments for fall with the dental health experts at Yonge Eglinton Dental in Toronto
Our dental team is happy to welcome you to our office for a complete dental checkup that includes strengthening your teeth with fluoride. Make an appointment for an office visit today by calling our office at 416-932-2222 or booking online. We look forward to seeing you!
Are you concerned about visiting the dentist? Read about how we protect the health and safety of our patients and staff so your family can seek proper dental care with peace of mind.
