Do Children Need Fluoride Treatments?

It’s important for your child to have healthy teeth and gums, but do they need fluoride treatments to achieve that? Once our child gets their teeth in, they can benefit from a fluoride treatment to help fight cavities and decay. This is what a fluoride treatment can do for your child’s smile, plus what happens in the event a cavity develops. 

What is Fluoride?

Fluoride is a mineral found in all natural water sources. It is an ionic form of the trace element fluorine, and is most commonly found in the environment. Fluoride reaches water sources by leaching from soil and rocks into groundwater. 

The use of fluoride in the context of dentistry is a safe and effective agent that can prevent and control tooth decay, also known as cavities. Fluoride remineralizes the calcium found in the enamel by forming a surface that is more resistant to acid attacks. Adding this to your dental routine can help reverse early signs of cavities and can help prevent a future cavity from forming. 

Is Fluoride Safe for Children?

In short, yes, fluoride is safe for children. Once your child has a tooth, your dentist may recommend that your child begin receiving fluoride varnish treatments to help prevent tooth decay. On average, this is done around 4 times a year. However, the exact number of treatments varies by the likelihood of your child getting a cavity. Fluoride varnish is safe and used by dentists and doctors all over the world to help prevent tooth decay in children. 

Fluoride varnish treatments help prevent tooth decay or slow the progression down so it doesn’t get worse. However, it is important to note that using fluoride alone doesn’t solely prevent tooth decay from happening. Rather, it works best when your child is also brushing their teeth properly, eating a well-rounded diet, and having regular visits with your dentist. 

Cavities in Children

Tooth decay and cavities are one of the most common problems in children. A cavity can develop early on as soon as your child’s baby teeth come in. Even though they will lose these teeth eventually, cavities in the baby teeth shouldn’t be ignored. Healthline explains that cavities happen when dental plaque builds up on the teeth and wears away at the tooth enamel, eventually causing a hole in the tooth. Signs of a cavity in your child could include:

• Dark spots on the tooth 
• White spots on the tooth
• Crying or fussiness
• Sensitivity to cold foods and drinks
• Mouth swelling
• Not eating
• Tiredness and lethargy 

By using fluoride in children, cavities can be prevented or stopped before they progress too far. If fluoride isn’t used soon enough, a dental filling will be done to remove the decay and fill the hole it caused, saving the tooth. If the cavity isn’t filled soon enough, your child risks losing their tooth. This might not seem like a big deal for baby teeth, but losing through teeth too early could affect how their adult, permanent teeth grow in. 

Kid-focused Dentistry

Cavities don’t just happen to adults, but they can happen to children too. At Stonebrook Family Dental, we believe that positive dental experiences during childhood set the foundation for a lifetime of good oral health habits and healthy smiles. We offer quality dental care no matter the age, and strive to provide the highest standard of dentistry. 

Routine checkups and cleanings are one of the most important parts of maintaining the health of your teeth and gums, no matter your age. We know that life happens and sometimes you get busy, however, prioritizing your dental health now will set your children up for success in the future. Dr. Kevin Varley and our Stonebrook Family Dental team believe that it is always better to prevent rather than repair, and having regular checkups and cleanings with our team will do just that. 

Make an Appointment with Stonebrook Family Dental

We understand that children can often feel scared about coming to the dentist, however, our team takes time to help them feel at ease when they’re at our office. We make the dental visits easy, education, and fun for our patients of all ages. Whether your child just needs a cleaning or needs a treatment to help a hurting tooth, our team will walk you through every step of the way. 

Make an appointment for your child — or yourself if you need to — to make sure there are no issues occurring. For fluoride treatments and more, Stonebrook Family Dental is here for you! Call us today for an appointment at (303)-872-7907.