How does flourinated water help teeth?

Question

Does it help because you ingest the flouride or is it that the flouride comes into direct contact with teeth when you drink the water? I am asking because about a year ago I switched from tap water to almost exclusively bottled spring water and my teeth have started to stain. I have a hunch that it is because bottled spring water is not flourinated (to my knowledge). I brush my teeth everyday and dont drink coffee and have never had this problem before. I have also heard that distilled water can leech minerals from your body if you drink it too much? It seems to me that spring water wouldn't do this since its not distilled and I would imagine has more minerals in it than tap water...

Answer 1

Chances are it is not from a lack of fluoride that your teeth are staining. It prevents tooth decay, not staining. Recent research has shown that the effects of ingesting fluoride are not as dramatic as once thought. The topical effect of the mineral in toothpaste and in fluoride treatments at your dentist's office are of far greater benefit than when you drink it. This is especially true after the teeth have fully developed and erupted into the mouth. The fluoride gets absorbed by the tooth enamel. The enamel is made of hydroxyapetite crystals. Fluoride changes these crystals to fluorapetite crystals. Fluorapetite crystals dissolve at a much lower pH (more acidic) than hydroxyapetite crystals. This means that you can have a much more acidic environment around the teeth (from plaque accumulation), and they still will not decay. You should know that it's not only coffee that can stain your teeth, but also tobacco, tea, and colored foods. If it's been a while (more than 6 months) since your last dental cleaning, you may have tartar, or calculus, build-up. See your dentist. I hope this helps.

Answer 2

It is because of direct contact to the teeth. Just like tooth paste. It probably is the bottled water. I have done a lot of research on bottled water and I have found that many brands actually are more tainted than tap water.