Last Updated on March 6, 2019

Your child’s dental health is important if you want their teeth to remain healthy throughout childhood and adolescence. While making sure that your child brushes and flosses regularly should keep their teeth healthy, a type of mineral that can be very beneficial for your child’s dental health is fluoride. Which is primarily known to help with the prevention of tooth decay. If you want to avoid taking your child to a dental expert like an orthodontist too often, it’s important that you understand more about fluoridation and the effects it has on your child’s mouth.

What Do the Fluoride and Fluoridation Terms Refer To?

Fluoride is a very important mineral that can provide children and adults alike with a large number of distinct health benefits. This mineral can reduce the possibility of tooth decay while also strengthening your enamel and lessening plaque buildup. The entire structure of your tooth will become healthier when fluoride comes into contact with the tooth. Early signs of decay can even be repaired if you get more fluoride into your diet.

Your mouth naturally consists of harmful bacteria. These become more prevalent when you drink beverages and eat foods that contain high amounts of sugar. These sugars will cause the bacteria in your mouth to produce acid, which will create problems with the overall health of your tooth enamel.

The enamel found on each of your teeth is a substance that acts as a protective coating for the rest of the tooth. When this substance is worn down, your teeth have a higher chance of suffering from decay. Tooth decay can eventually lead to the development of cavities. Fluoride helps to provide protection to your child’s teeth by strengthening the structure of their teeth. While also making sure that acid doesn’t have as damaging of an effect. During your child’s formative years, it’s essential that they get enough fluoride in their body to make sure that their teeth develop as they should.

What Is Fluoride Found In?

As touched upon previously, fluoride is most often found in a fluoridation water supply. Many communities will add this substance in order to ensure that the amount of tooth decay in the community is kept at a minimum. Fluoride is usually very safe, which means that you don’t need to worry about this mineral being found in the public water supply. If the water in your community isn’t fluoridated, you can find this mineral in a wide range of products like soft drinks and tea.

You can also purchase dietary supplements with fluoride that will allow your children to obtain the beneficial mineral without needing to find other products that contain small amounts of it. A substantial amount of this mineral can be found in mouthwash as well as toothpaste that are labeled as consisting of fluoride. While you don’t exactly need to brush your teeth with fluoride toothpaste, doing so is an easy way to help you or your child get the amount of the substance that they need without having to look for alternative sources. If you want to keep your child’s mouth healthy and free from dental decay, it’s important that they get enough fluoride.

Who Requires High Amounts of Fluoride?

Fluoride is an essential mineral for anyone who wants to make sure that their teeth remain healthy and free from decay. There are some people who require higher amounts of fluoride than others. Children who are between six months and 16 years old should consume at least a small amount of fluoride every day or as often as possible. While their teeth are still in the initial phases of development, it’s important that they get the right amount of fluoride. If you’re unsure about whether or not your child is receiving enough fluoride, our orthodontist at Tisseront Orthodontics will be able to ascertain what your child’s fluoride levels are.

Steps will be taken to increase the amount of fluoride that they use. This is if it’s determined that they aren’t currently getting enough. For instance, we may suggest that your child starts taking some fluoride supplements. This makes it easier for them to get the recommended daily amount of fluoride. The exact amount of fluoride that they are prescribed with will largely depend on whether fluoride has been placed into the public water supply and what the child’s current age is. Cleaning with braces is also important.

Health Risks and Complications Associated With Fluoridation

While fluoride is considered to be a very safe and beneficial mineral, there are also some risks and complications that you should look out for. These complications are rare but can occur if your child consumes too much of the substance. For one, it’s important that your child doesn’t drink any beverage that has too much fluoride in it. While it can be difficult to determine how much fluoride is in a beverage, there are some symptoms that indicate you’re consuming too much of the mineral, which includes teeth discoloration and dental fluorosis.

Dental fluorosis is a condition wherein the enamel on your child’s teeth begins to appear strange. This is because of the presence of pits, stains, or spots on it. This is an extremely common issue that can be treated by simply lessening the amount of fluoride you consume. You should also make sure that your child avoids swallowing any toothpaste that consists of fluoride. While it’s important that your child uses fluoridated toothpaste, swallowing this substance can create the symptoms of dental fluorosis.

If you believe that the drinking reservoir that’s located nearby your home consists of too much fluoride, you should consider contacting your local health department. So that they can conduct a proper evaluation of how much fluoride is in the drinking reservoir. Children are at high risk of dental fluorosis since the condition is only found in teeth that are still developing as opposed to permanent teeth.