We recently read an article entitled, “A Mom’s Guide to Fluoride.” This article was written by a mom named Brittany Seymour who also happens to be an assistant professor at Harvard School of Dental Medicine. We particularly liked the article because we at Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontic Specialists of Michigan largely agree with her perspective on the use of fluoride.
In the article, she talks about her experiences as a first-year dental student and her emotional encounter of having to pull a toddler’s four front teeth. This two-and-a-half-year-old girl had a severe dental infection due to cavities caused by poor oral hygiene and dietary choices by the parents coupled with a lack of exposure to fluoride. Now that Brittany is a mom to her own young daughter, she sees how important it is for our children to be getting fluoride in their drinking water as well as through their toothpastes and dental checkups. In the article, she states that, “our children deserve the healthiest start to their lives, and a healthy smile is one of the best gifts we can give them.” We believe in these words too.
In the article, she factually states that cavities are the most common disease in both children and adults worldwide! The discovery of fluorides benefits in strengthening enamel and protecting teeth is one of the largest public health success stories of the past century as cavities can largely be prevented by the use of fluoride. Fluoride is an element naturally occurring in many water sources on Earth which is how we discovered its usefulness in preventing cavities. Many communities, where the parts per million content of fluoride is too low, have added fluoride to their drinking tap water to healthy levels to help prevent cavities.
Therefore, tap water is one of the best beverages you and your children can drink. It is calorie free and sugar free and has a neutral pH to help us overcome some of the acids and sugars that we consume in our diets. It’s also relatively free! We recommend you consider avoiding water bottles also as many brands do not contain the benefit of fluoride and you can help save the environment one bottle at a time.
Drinking water with fluoride helps to prevent cavities before they start. Our office hopes that you and your family consider the motherly advice of the author Brittney Seymour and make tap water and fluoride part of your daily oral hygiene and protection routine.
If you would like more information about toothpastes and fluoride for your child, please ask their dentist to recommend what is best for your child at their next dental visit.
About Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontic Specialists of Michigan, the offices of Drs. Delaney, Plunkett, Ralstrom, Makowski, Thanasas, Ker, and Associates
Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontic Specialists of Michigan have specialized in pediatric dentistry and orthodontics since 1968. Our family-friendly and newly renovated office gives patients and families a more comfortable and consistent experience with dentistry from the very beginning. Our pediatric dentists treat children from newborn to 18 years of age while our orthodontists provide care for both children and adults and are proud to be Premier Providers of Invisalign and Invisalign Teen services. The ability to treat all patients with compassion and individuality, including those that may have special needs reaches beyond our facility, which has treatment rooms available for children who require additional privacy and customized care options. We pioneered valued hospital affiliations to allow dental services to be performed at DMC Children’s Hospital and St. John Macomb Hospital, when appropriate or necessary, and our specialists are also proud to be on staff at Henry Ford and Beaumont hospitals.
