There’s good news for all those braces wearers out there: a recent Swedish university dental study found that high-fluoride toothpaste used by those who wear braces could help diminish or eliminate the unsightly and dangerous marks left by the dental appliances. By using a special paste with four times as much fluoride as conventional brands, researchers successfully got rid of the white spots left on teeth of a group adolescents. It had previously been shown that up to 85 percent of teenagers who have to have braces end up with “white spot lesions” from braces, which can last forever and are actually a form of localized tooth decay. If you need to know if your teeth could benefit from a fluoride treatment of any kind, please contact North Eugene Family Dental’s dentist Dr. Kirt Kirchmeier and his staff, who provide a wide range of general dental care services and strive to be the best dentist in Eugene, OR.
The Study Tracked 400 Kids
The Swedish study took 400 kids who were slated for braces in 2008 and divided them into two random units. Half of the group was given a paste with 5,100 parts per million of fluoride to use, while the other group was given a similar paste with only 1450 parts per million, which is what normal store-brand toothpastes contain. The researchers compared the adolescents after 1.8 years of wearing braces. Two dental professionals, who were not privy to which toothpaste was used, then compared before and after photos to see how much each paste effected the teeth.
High Fluoride Proven Effective
The researchers in the Malmo University study reported that 45% of those who used regular paste developed the white area compared to only 34.6% of those who used the high-fluoride variety. Toothpastes that are very high in fluoride are sometimes suggested for those people with a higher risk of cavities, and fluoride treatment is a very common method of controlling dental caries. The authors of the Swedish study all advised avoiding a diet high in carbohydrates and increasing the attention paid when flossing and brushing with braces.
Nothing Beats Frequent Checkups
Around 4 million youth in the United States have braces right now. Most of those with the dental appliances have them on their teeth for 1-3 years. This is a long time for any dental decay to worsen if braces are not taken care of properly. The Swedish study, which was published in the European Journal of Orthodontics, did prove that a high-fluoride toothpaste for use at home could protect against those white spots and help deter decay. Though, it should be pointed out, frequent checkups to an orthodontist and keeping up overall dental care is still highly recommended.
If you have concerns about spots left by braces or other cosmetic or general dentistry questions, the helpful staff at North Eugene Family Dental would be happy to schedule a time to get those answered. Located just off Coburg Road, we are easy to find and always available for your Eugene area dental needs.
