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Fluoride helps fight cavities. That's why it's in our drinking water and toothpaste. But how this mineral works its dental magic is still somewhat mysterious. Now, researchers offer an incisive solution. They find that fluoride treatment can loosen bacteria's grip on tooth enamel. The study is in the journal Langmuir.
氟化物有抵抗蛀牙的功效。這就是為什么它會出現在飲用水和牙膏里。然而，這種礦物質是如何施展魔法來保護牙齒至今仍是個謎。如今，研究人員提供了一個具體的解決方案。他們發現氟處理能緩解牙釉質里細菌的壓力。這項研究發表在《朗繆爾》期刊上。
Scientists used to think that fluoride could harden tooth enamel, helping it retain the minerals that protect teeth from the acid produced by our oral flora. But recent work has shown that fluoride doesn't really penetrate past the tooth's thinnest outer layer, suggesting that something other than hardening is going on.
科學家們曾認為氟化物能夠堅固牙釉質，這樣有助于保留礦物質，進而使牙齒不被口腔內細菌分泌的酸所腐蝕。但近期的研究顯示氟化物并不能穿透牙齒的最薄的外層，這說明氟化物不僅能堅固牙齒，而且還有其它作用。
To drill deeper into this toothsome mystery, researchers whipped up a set of artificial choppers, made of the same stuff as teeth. And they used atomic force microscopy to take a closer look at how bacteria interact with this dental material. They found that three different strains of cavity-causing bugs cling less tightly to enamel that's been rinsed with fluoride.
為了發掘更多牙齒的奧秘，研究人員設計了一套人工的假牙，這套假牙是由與真牙相同的物質做成的。他們利用原子力顯微鏡近距離觀察了細菌如何與牙齒材料進行互動。他們發現引起蛀牙的三種不同的菌株很少粘附于有氟化物加固的牙釉質表面。
The bacteria carry a net negative charge on their surfaces. So the negatively charged fluoride ions in the treated enamel may be literally repulsive to the bacteria. Which causes them to bite the dust.
細菌的表面帶有一個負電荷。牙釉質里的氟離子也帶負電荷，因此二者自然互相排斥，這讓蛀牙細菌敗下陣來。
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