Fluoride benefits for your child

Flouridated water can reduce tooth decay in children. Net photo

What you need to know:

While this addition can be helpful, you will want to make sure you child is old enough to use the toothpaste without swallowing the substance.

Most adults dread the word “cavity,” and there’s a good chance your little ones feel the same way.

While brushing and attending regular dental visits are great steps you can take to make sure your children get a clean, “no cavities” report, there is another secret weapon you can use in the fight against tooth decay.

That weapon is fluoride, a natural mineral that helps strengthen enamel and prevent tooth decay.

How children can benefit from fluoride
One of the best ways to get added cavity prevention is as simple as drinking a glass of water. Most people in urban areas have fluoridated tap water, which means the water naturally contains the appropriate levels of fluoride or that fluoride has been added to it.

Studies have indicated that water fluoridation can reduce tooth decay in children by between 18 percent and 40 percent.

Keep in mind that many types of bottled water do not contain fluoride, so you may be missing out on the cavity-preventing benefits for children if your family only drinks pre-packaged water.

Other sources of fluoride
Beyond drinking fluoridated water, you can also ensure that your children get enough of this substance by brushing their teeth with a toothpaste that has fluoride in it.

Toothpastes with fluoride help strengthen tooth enamel and give children a twice daily added exposure to the substance.

While this addition can be helpful, you will want to make sure you child is old enough to use the toothpaste without swallowing the substance. Parents should not recommend their children to use fluoride toothpaste until they make two years of age.

You can also make sure you provide enough fluoride for children in your family by giving them fluoride supplements, which are ingested and have the same effects as fluoridated water.

These supplements which can be administered as tablets or drops are prescribed by a doctor and are used as supplements for children living in areas without sufficient levels of water fluoridation.

Using fluoride for children is an effective way to make sure your little ones have the healthiest smiles possible. To find out more about whether your child is getting the right levels of fluoride, talk to your family dentist about your child’s tooth care routine.

The writer is a dentist
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