By: John
Dougherty
It’s
alarming to learn that tooth decay is one of the most common chronic childhood
diseases in the U.S. Dentists are now seeing an increasing number of children as
young as four years old with moderate to severe cases of tooth decay. The good
news is this is preventable; and fluoride is an important ingredient in
prevention.
To
keep children cavity-free for as long as possible, the American Dental
Association recently changed the recommended age of fluoride use from two-years-old
to the first signs of baby teeth. It was previously thought that fluoride use
on babies may cause discoloration on their adult teeth, and possibly cause
harm. As a result, the recent change in recommendation has stimulated some
debate.
First, we must consider the overall benefits of fluoride:
- It helps maintain saliva, preventing plaque build up
- It prevents plaque from forming acids that cause tooth decay
- It strengthens weakened areas of the mouth
Adults
that brush their teeth daily with fluoride toothpaste should be sufficiently
protected. For infants, it is safe for parents to use small amounts of fluoride
toothpaste with a soft brush, to help protect their teeth as they begin to form.
For children, fluoride toothpaste alone is not enough. To properly protect their teeth from decay, during
the prime growing years, children need fluoride from additional sources, such
as local drinking water.
Recommended
Alternative Sources
- Fluoride rinse
- Fluoride gum or drops
- Tap water
While
some parents are concerned that too much fluoride can be harmful, proper
amounts of toothpaste and fluoride supplements are safe. Now, if a child ingests
an entire tube of toothpaste, it can be extremely harmful and in some cases even
fatal. Fortunately, if they only swallow a pea-sized amount, there are no
damaging effects.
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