Importance of Fluoride Treatment for Kids

Tiny as their mouths maybe, children require dental health care just as much as adults do, if not more. As they grow up, they undergo different stages of life that are mostly influenced by growth and development happening in their bodies. This also affects their oral cavities in different ways.

Taking care of your child’s dental health cannot be successful if you rely solely on the activities and routines you practice at home. You need the intervention of a pediatric dentist in Spruce Canyon Family Dentistry to provide any input necessary for healthy dental health for kids.

What is Fluoride Treatment? 

It is a dental treatment common for pediatric dental care, where children’s teeth are enriched with fluoride. Fluoride is a natural mineral that should be obtained from the foods we eat every day, ranging from water, fish with bones, to mention a few. However, the fluoride you obtained from food may not be enough to protect your teeth.

For children, especially, they are not intentional about eating foods that have nutritional benefits to their bodies and oral cavities. A treatment that involves introducing fluoride to their teeth, therefore, is worth exploring.

What Is the Role of Fluoride on Teeth? 

Fluoride is a necessary mineral for the health of your teeth. It works by layering the surfaces of teeth so that the teeth are protected. Some of the ways that fluoride is useful in dental health include:

• Protecting teeth against cavities and tooth decay – between 6 and 14 years of age, your child is more prone to dental cavities than any other stage. It may not be enough to have them brush their teeth. Fluoride can help create an added layer of protection over teeth to fight against bacteria causing infection. This way, if your child did not have cavities, they may never get them.
• Prevents progression of infections – if your child already has a cavity, the fluoride varnish will work by slowing down the progression of the infection. This way, a cavity will not graduate into a severe case of dental decay.
• To protect baby teeth – many parents may not see the benefit of protecting children’s first teeth. Even though they must come off at one point to make room for permanent teeth, baby teeth are important. They help save room in the mouth of a child for permanent teeth. Without them, your child may have to battle many other orthodontic challenges as they grow up. Besides, teeth, whether temporary or permanent, are great for ensuring the health of the jawbone and gum tissue.
• To strengthen teeth – other than calcium gotten from foods, fluoride also plays a big role in the strength of your teeth’ enamels.
• Foster’s proper oral hygiene – a dentist will rarely apply fluoride in teeth that have not been thoroughly cleaned. This is why the treatment comes after a session of professional teeth cleaning. The deep cleaning ensures that all plaque and tartar are removed from teeth. This way, when fluoride is applied, it does not sit on top of the plaque, which is the main contributor to dental cavities, decay, and other oral problems.

How Many Treatments Does Your Child Need?

The fluoride varnish applied to your child’s teeth is not meant to last forever. Ideally, it should sustain your child’s teeth for a couple of months, before they need another treatment. Kids can get up to 4 or 5 treatments in one year. This will depend on how much risk your child is at for getting dental cavities. Since the fluoride varnish is applied by a dental expert, you should not worry about the risks involved. If in doubt, talk to your pediatric dentist about it. He/she will also guide you on the number of times your child will need the treatment for their teeth.

Does Fluoride Varnish Guarantee A Cavity-Less Childhood?

Fluoride is just a mineral to enrich teeth and protect them from bacteria causing infection. However, solely, it cannot prevent cavities from happening. Your child has to keep up with regular dental hygiene, including brushing teeth twice every day and flossing regularly. Besides, the regular deep cleans professionally done by a dental hygienist will boost thee hygiene standards and give your child a fighting chance against dental carries.