Proper oral hygiene matters universally. However, it’s even more important in places with a rich gastronomic heritage like Kentucky, whose iconic foods — spoonbread, hot browns, Derby pie, and Benedictine spread — can be detrimental to children’s teeth due to their sweetness, acidity, and starchiness. If your little ones can’t get enough of your cooking, use fluoride to protect their first pearly whites. Is this mineral nonnegotiable? What is the recommended fluoride for children? What is the best way to give it to your kids? Discover when fluoride helps and harms to maximize it for dental care without compromising your children’s well-being.
Do Kids Really Need Fluoride?
Fluoride helps keep children’s enamel — the teeth’s protective layer — intact, neutralizes early tooth decay and prevents cavities from developing, which are irreversible. Eating increases the amounts of bacteria, sugars and plaque in the mouth. They form acids that attack the enamel, causing it to lose minerals. Children regain these lost micronutrients by consuming fluoride, calcium and phosphate, boosting the enamel’s resistance to acids.
Regular remineralization contributes to good oral health, which is vital to child development. A healthy set of milk teeth is crucial for chewing, speaking and preventing gum disease. Although baby teeth are temporary, they reserve spots in the jaw for future permanent choppers.
What Problems Can Fluoride Cause in Children?
Fluoride is beneficial in moderation. Too much of it can result in fluorosis — a condition in which the mineral negatively affects enamel formation.
Generally, fluorosis is benign and nothing more than a cosmetic concern. Excess fluoride manifests itself as white spots or brown stains on the teeth.
However, extremely high fluoride levels can leave hole-like depressions in the enamel. This protective hard layer can also become porous, exposing the dentin underneath and rendering it vulnerable to bacterial attacks. Compromised dentin can lead to hypersensitivity, which may cause extreme pain when exposed to hot, cold and sour foods, as well as tactile experiences like brushing.
Dentin doesn’t recover from remineralization as enamel does due to the differences in their tissue components. Dentin contains only 65% inorganic compounds, whereas enamel has about 96%.
Moreover, fluorosis can be chronic or acute. The latter is more severe because a case of fluoride poisoning can cause these health problems in minutes:
- Abdominal pain
- Constipation or diarrhea
- Drowsiness
- Nausea
- Paleness
- Vomiting
Experiencing fluoride poisoning can cause accidents, so protect your kids from this medical condition at all costs. Keep fluoride-containing products, like toothpaste, out of their reach. Ingesting an entire tube is a common way for children to get acute fluorosis.
What Is the Recommended Fluoride for Children?
Pediatricians say kids under 3 should brush their teeth twice daily. The appropriate amount of fluoride toothpaste for them is about the size of a grain of rice. For kids over 3, the amount increases to the size of a pea. Babies without teeth don’t need fluoride toothpaste.
Strictly following these recommendations risks fluorosis, though. This mineral comes from various sources, not just dental products. Your kids may also get their daily dose of fluoride from foods, water, dietary supplements and medications. The ideal amount varies by age and health. The recommended daily fluoride intake requirements of healthy children are as follows:
- 0-6 months: 0.01 milligrams (mg)
- 7-12 months: 0.5 mg
- 1-3 years: 0.7 mg
- 4-8 years: 1 mg
- 9-13 years: 2 mg
- 14-18 years: 3 mg
Tracking how much fluoride your little ones consume can be challenging. Still, this task is easier when it involves infants and young children since you have control over what you give them.
Distinguishing systemic fluorides from topical ones is a good start. Your kids get this mineral systematically when they consume foods and water containing it. Conversely, they gain fluoride topically when using dental products at home. Dental professionals may also apply high fluoride concentrations twice yearly during checkups to prevent tooth decay.
Nutrition facts labels specify a product’s fluoride content. However, fluoridated tap water may cause your kids to ingest more fluoride than intended.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has developed My Water’s Fluoride. This tool collects data from most U.S. states and maps fluoridated public water systems. Use the information to determine if you should consider tap water when monitoring your children’s mineral intake to protect them from chronic fluorosis.
What Is the Best Fluoride Treatment for Children?
Fluoride treatments involve applying high mineral concentrations to your children’s teeth to prevent cavities and promote good dental health. They may be suitable for patients who lack ample exposure to fluoride, consume sugary and high-carb foods frequently, and have fair or poor oral hygiene habits.
Furthermore, these professional treatments may also apply to your kids if they have deep fissures and pits on their teeth’s chewing surfaces. They’re also beneficial for kids who have exposed or sensitive root surfaces, recently suffered tooth decay or experience inadequate saliva flow due to medical reasons.
A dentist must evaluate your children’s oral health regularly. Only a dental professional can determine whether your little ones need extra fluoride, so ensure they never miss their dental appointment.
Ensure Your Children Get Adequate Fluoride
Being mindful of your kids’ fluoride intake promotes proper oral care, so ensure they get no more or less of this mineral than necessary. Healthy, beautiful teeth will help your children grow up physically and mentally fit.
Editor’s Note :: While Beth always heavily researches all of her articles for us on LMC, please make sure to consult with your child’s pediatrician/dentist before making any changes to your family’s dental hygiene routine.
