Fluoride Treatment

The goal of fluoride varnish is to stick to the teeth and not swallow it. When the fluoride varnish is painted on the teeth, it sticks to the wet tooth surface and after several hours it is recommended to brush the remaining fluoride varnish off your teeth. If some of the fluoride is ingested there is no major concern, because the such small amounts of fluoride will be either absorbed or pass through the body in such low doses.

It is important to note that Fluoride can be toxic in much larger amounts or if much higher concentrations are ingested. To give you a relative example of how low the fluoride varnish dose is, a 30 pound child would need to ingest approximately 65 mg of fluoride to show signs of toxicity. Fluoride varnish used in the professional dental office is 5% fluoride which amounts to only 2 to at most 5 mg.