Kid Friendly Guide For Fighting Cavities With Fluoride

Trying to teach your child how to brush their teeth can be challenging! Trying to teach them about healthy habits to promote good oral health can be even more challenging, especially when you have to cut back on the sweets and sodas that your child loves.

To help your kids understand why oral health is so important, you can teach them about the built-in cavity fighters in their drinking water!

Teaching kids this way can make them feel like they’re protecting their teeth just by using the water in their tap, making it less like a chore.

The American Academy of Pediatrics has a quick 4-step guide for you to explain to your kids how to maintain good oral health:

1. Drink water that has fluoride
2. Brush twice a day with the right amount of fluoridated toothpaste
3. Eat a healthy diet, limiting sweet drinks, sticky candies, and snacks
4. Talk to your dentist or doctor about fluoride treatments

Regulated amounts of fluoride in the drinking water in most cities will help your children get the fluoride they need to put them on the right track to oral health just by brushing their teeth!

You can also purchase fluoride-free dental products for very small children (younger than two years old) to save for when they’re able to take care of their dental hygiene themselves.

When they’re ready to learn, you can find more information on our website, or by visiting your trusted family dentist in Howell, Michigan!

Fluoride Myths & Facts

Do you have conflicting feelings about fluoride?

Do you have concerns about the fact that fluoride is in the water you get from your tap, and in a lot of dental products available at the drugstore?

Before you make up your mind, make sure you have the facts!

As your trusted family dentist in Howell, Michigan, our team at Dr. DiStefano & Associates wants to make sure that you have all the information about products you can buy right at your fingertips.

Myths About Fluoride

• “Fluoride doesn’t belong in the drinking water.”
• “Adding fluoride is forced medication.”
• “We can already get fluoride in toothpaste, so we don’t need it in our drinking water.”
• “Fluoride is especially unsafe for small children.”

The Facts About Fluoride:

• According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, fluoride occurs naturally in water, though rarely at the optimal level to protect teeth.
• Many scientific studies and reviews have recognized fluoride as an important nutrient for strong, healthy teeth!
• Fluoridated water is the best way to protect everyone’s teeth from decay, and communities use guidelines from the CDC to regulate the amount of fluoride needed in the water to promote good oral health.
• Getting enough fluoride in childhood is important to strengthening our teeth for an entire lifetime, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics!

Looking For More?

If you have more questions about fluoride use and regulations, please talk to your dentist! We can recommend products to use for added fluoride and ease your concerns about excessive fluoride use, especially for small kids.

Call your family dentist in Howell, Michigan today to find out how we can help, or visit our website for more information!