Why Fluoride Treatments are Important for Kids

Instead of taking your child to the dentist fora face drill, imagine taking them a painless treatment that helps prevent cavities. It sounds pretty great. Then, ask your dentist about fluoride treatment for your kid’s teeth to help protect and remineralize enamel by helping reduce the likelihood of a cavity. Now that is something that should make a parent smile.

Preventative dental care helps your child maintain strong and healthy teeth that last a lifetime by preventing problems and identifying issues when they occur. Preventive maintenance includes flossing and brushing, which is done at home.

Also, your dentist does things, including examinations, x-rays, periodic cleanings, placing dental sealants from Greeley, and fluoride treatments for teens and kids. Learn more about how fluoride treatment benefits kids.

What Is Fluoride?

Fluoride is a natural mineral found in plants, rocks, groundwater, and oceans. And since it’s a proven way to prevent tooth decay, it’s usually added to community water sources and dental products.

What is Fluoride Treatment?

These are professional treatments that contain a high concentration of fluoride that a dentist applies to your kid’s or your teeth to improve health and reduce the risk of cavities. This is an in-office treatment that takes the form of a gel, solution, varnish, or foam.

However, there are some high-concentration fluoride treatments that you can use at home but only under a specific direction. And the fluoride that your dentist uses during these treatments is similar to the one in toothpaste. However, the treatment contains much higher doses and offers more benefits.

Why Is Fluoride Important?

When adults or children drink or eat, the bacteria in their mouths feed on the sugars and starches, releasing acids that erode the protective layer of the teeth, the enamel. When your enamel breaks down, cavities and tooth decay can occur.

Fluoride penetrates your enamel and makes it stronger and more resistant to acid attacks, and it helps reverse early tooth decay. It also helps promote remineralization when minerals are deposited into the enamel after the acids strip them away.

If your kids still have baby teeth, fluoride gets incorporated into their developing permanent teeth. When the kid’s permanent teeth erupt, they become less prone to cavities. In older kids and adults, fluoride hinders acid production and prevents cavities in people of all ages. Drinking fluoridated water decreases cavities by 25 % in adults and kids.

Are Fluoride Treatments Safe for Kids?

Yes. These treatments are safe for kids. Although too much fluoride leads to fluorosis in kids, which is a condition that results in pitting of the enamel or white spots, fluorosis is rare in most cases. However, getting too much fluoride is less common than not enough fluoride.

Always talk to your pediatric dentist in Greeley if you’re concerned about your child getting too much fluoride. Consulting them helps you determine the right amount of fluoride to protect and keep your child’s teeth strong.

Different Types of Fluoride Treatments

There are different ways you can help your child get the fluoride they need:

• By encouraging them to use over-the-counter mouthwash which has low levels of fluoride or prescription fluoride from the pediatric dentist if they are at high risk of caries
• By choosing a toothpaste that is ADA-approved that contains fluoride when your kid is grown enough to spit the toothpaste out
• By choosing fluoridated tap water over bottled water for drinking water and baby bottles

Your pediatric dentist applies all kinds of fluoride in the same way: either in a mouth tray which your kid wears for several minutes or painted on with a brush.

When Should Kids Get A Fluoride Treatment

Our dentist at Toothtown of Greeley recommends that kids get a fluoride treatment twice a year. You should schedule your child’s first dental visit where they should be at the age of one. After that, kids’ fluoride treatment should be continued until at least 16. However, fluoride treatments for teens and adults are still effective since fluoride is the most crucial while the teeth are still developing.

Benefits of Fluoride Treatments for Kids

Fluoride treatments are paired with good oral hygiene and routine dental care. It helps strengthen their developing permanent teeth and prevents cavities. It also reverses early decay through the process of remineralization.