The Importance of Fluoride Treatments for Kids

Preventing cavities is any day better than treating them especially among children. Dental cavities are a chronic condition affecting children and adults throughout the world. Both can benefit from using the safest method available for preventing cavities in the form of fluoride. Millions of children in the United States and throughout the world have benefited from fluoride in water, toothpaste, and dental checkups beginning no later than the child’s first birthday. Fluoride treatment for kids is important because it can protect the teeth by making them stronger and resistant to acids. Fluoride not only reduces the risk of cavities but can also help to reverse early signs of tooth decay. Therefore every parent needs to ensure their child gets fluoride treatments as soon as possible.

When Should You Be Scheduling Your Child’s First Dental Visit?

The first dental visit of the child must be scheduled no later than his or her first birthday. If your child has teeth in the mouth cavities can be considered as being in the neighborhood. By scheduling your child’s first dental visit you are making it possible for the child to begin developing good habits along with a positive relationship with the pediatric dentist.

Child fluoride treatments can help to prevent cavities by strengthening the enamel of the teeth and may also reverse any cavities that may have begun forming. Your child will not undergo any stress or anxiety during the application of fluoride as it is painless and quick. The dentist will paint a thin layer of fluoride varnish on the child’s teeth which often has a pleasant taste. The application is fast and dries quickly. Your child will be prohibited from eating or drinking anything for about 30 minutes after the treatment.

Should Your Child Receive Fluoride Treatments Even after Having Fluoridated Water?

Getting fluoridated water is easy and inexpensive besides being one of the best beverages for children. Sports drinks, soda, and even sweetened drinks like fruit juice can contribute to tooth decay. Fluoridated water can protect the teeth and also keep the child healthy because it is free from calories.

Fluoride is a natural mineral that is in all sources of natural water. Children drinking tap water from communities adding fluoride are getting the right amount of fluoride needed to keep their teeth healthy according to the standards set by the industry. However, it has been observed that many children lacked access to fluoridated water and did not have any mechanism to battle cavities or tooth decay in their mouths other than fluoride treatments. This was particularly the case with children from lower-income families that benefited better from these treatments rather than fluoridated water. However, even if your child is having fluoridated water regularly it causes no harm to have an additional barrier of protection against cavities from fluoride treatments.

Keeping an eye on your child will be difficult on most occasions when you may be busy or engrossed in other activities. Your child will find it easy to develop wrong habits that can easily attract cavities and tooth decay in their mouths. You must understand that this treatment is a preventive measure that protects your child’s teeth against cavities and decay and must, therefore, prefer to have it in your child’s mouth rather than wait for the cavities to make an appearance and spend on expensive restorative treatments.

The ADA recommends that the earlier children receive fluoride treatments the better it will be for them to battle against tooth decay and cavities. They even recommend that a child’s teeth be brushed with a tiny grain of fluoride toothpaste with a child-sized toothbrush soon after the first teeth begin erupting on the gums. The child must be encouraged to spit out the toothpaste and helped to brush with fluoride toothpaste under supervision.

What Is a Kid-Friendly Way of Explaining the Importance of Fluoride to Children?

You can use your imagination and the child’s favorite things to describe fluoride in a manner he or she understands. Children do not take long to understand what you are trying to explain and will soon understand the importance of fluoride if it is explained patiently.

For added benefits, we suggest taking the child to Kids First Dental Greenwood for a professional fluoride treatment in Greenwood, SC. You will have achieved your goal of helping the child to understand the importance of fluoride and also given him or her an additional barrier of protection in the mouth with fluoride treatment from this clinic.