Fluoride and teeth: how important?

[Cynic]

I've been experiment with alternate toothbrushing methods. I had a very bad cut (read: I bit off a part of my lower gums) in my mouth so even most sensitive toothpastes didn't work well and often it made me gag.

I originally started just gargling with Hydrogen Peroxide and then chewing a couple of cloves for breath fresheners. The hydrogen peroxide hurt like a bitch but it wasn't as bad as brushing for a couple of minutes.

When it became comfortable, I started brushing with baking soda. I would have loved to just pick up a piece of beech and use that as my brush but I can't seem to find it anywhere around here.

My cut has healed as a lum of dead scar tissue in the mouth and I really liked brushing with baking soda and gargling with H2O2 but my wife was commenting on the necessity for Fluoride to strengthen the teeth.

I tried out a new mix today of a teaspoon of H2O2, a teaspoon of store brand mouthwash and two tablespoons of baking soda to turn it into a nice paste and then used that to clean my teeth, tongue and gums. It stung a little but I don't think I've ever seen or felt this clean in my mouth before.

My question is that how important is Fluoride to your teeth? Is there something else I need to do to help this?

~
Cynic

[Quantumboost]

Fluoride is in there to strengthen the surface of your teeth against acidic attack. The fluoroapatite it produces is more resistant to the acid your mouth bacteria make than hydroxyapatite (the normal toothstuff); very useful if you eat sugary foods, since the bacteria love that stuff.

According to wikipedia on the subject, ingested fluoride is vastly more important than actually brushing with the stuff, and there's plenty in tap water (at least in the US) and seafood that you should be fine without using it in toothpaste. Getting it in your diet should probably be enough for your dental health.

Consult a medical professional you trust, of course.

[shadzar]

You have to wait until things heal at times before going back to the normal routine. Your lip needs to fully heal. It has only been about a month, and as long as you are not using a lot of acidic or sweet foods, your teeth will wait for the fluoride. You don't want to undo the healing to your mouth. Just getting enough calcium right now is the important thing. Once completely healed to where it doesn't hurt to use your normal mouth cleaning supplies, then you can use them again carefully so as not to re-damage your mouth.

Patience in the key.

If you really fear that you are lacking by not being able to use fluoride toothpaste, then you may want to ask a pharmacist about what suggestions they have. You could also try to get a mouthwash with fluoride, that doesn't have a high alcohol content to prevent the stinging.