"use the floss Luke"

Friday, 24 June 2011

Fluoride - how it works.

Everyone knows that fluoride in water and toothpaste reduces tooth decay, but how does it work?

Actually, it's pretty simple, fluoride ions replace hydroxyl ions in tooth structure, the resulting calcium salt calcium fluorapatite is less soluble. When tooth structure is under attack from acid, if fluoride ions are present the dissolved material (calcium hydroxyapatite) is immediately precipitated as fluorapatite. The chemical jargon is 'double decomposition'.

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