Lots of parents come to us with questions about fluoride. Fluoride is a natural substance that can be found in food and water. Some places even add fluoride to their water. Dentists use it because it helps to restore minerals to the tooth where bacteria have eaten into the tooth enamel. So, fluoride helps strengthen the tooth. It also helps to keep bad bacteria from growing, so it helps stop cavities from developing.
Fluoride won’t completely stop your kids’ teeth from decay, but with good dental hygiene, it can help prevent decay from getting deeper into your kids’ teeth. That’s why we recommend using fluoride in toothpaste and mouthwash to help replenish the teeth’s minerals. But sometimes, just practicing good dental hygiene isn’t enough. At Kids Dental, we offer a variety of fluoride treatments to restore and protect your children’s smiles.
Our professional fluoride treatments are quick and come in a couple of ways: gels or varnishes. We will either use a swab (like a Q-tip) or a tray to put the fluoride on your kids’ teeth, but it only takes a couple of minutes.
After it’s done, we ask your kid not to rinse, eat, or drink anything for the next half hour to make sure the fluoride absorbs into the teeth. Our dentists will likely recommend that your kiddo come back at least twice a year for fluoride, but it’s a quick, gentle, and easy process that will help protect your kids’ smiles for a lifetime.
Fluoride is safe for children as long as you and your children use it as prescribed, according to the directions on the bottle of toothpaste or mouthwash. Obviously, don’t eat it!
