My dentist offers the option of getting a fluoride treatment (for an additional charge) when my 8 year old has a check up. I've heard mixed things about ingesting flouride (in water and toothpastes) but is the dental fluoride treatment a good thing to get? From what I understand it helps strengthen her teeth, which is a good thing. But I'm not sure the fluoride is good for her body. Have also heard that the dental treatment doesn't do much good as it's temporary and possibly a waste of money. Anyone know about any of this? Thanks!
He will not swallow it, he will swish it around and hold it in his mouth.. then spit it out and then they have them rinse over and over again..
It should be fine.
When my son was born an infant I chose to use "nursery water" the gallon with a pink label which contains floride, and states it promotes stronger bones and teeth. Well my son is now 3 1/2 and suffers from fluorosis. See too much floride can damage tooth enamel. I feel soo guilty!! So my answer is No I would not do it.
I guess I'm in the minority, we don't get the fluoride treatments. I was leaning that way anyway, but the pediatric dentist convinced me. He said if our water is fluoridated (it is) we get plenty of fluoride. He is seeing a lot of problems with children getting dental fluorosis, because of too much fluoride. Does your child drink water with fluoride? If so, I would think that's enough.
I just took my kids for their check ups and I refused the fluoride for them. I did it once for myself at my own dentist check up and I felt very sick all day after that. Horrible stomach ache! I even buy natural tooth paste for my kids with no fluoride in it.
I don't use Fluoride and haven't in years. Additionally, I buy toothpaste that doesn't contain it OR Sodium Laurel Sulfate.
If you'd like more information on the topic, DrMercola.Com has many articles on his free website.. There is also called a book, The Fluoride Myth. Long before it became popular not to use Fluoride, I was already trying to get away from such chemicals. I also have a water filter that extracts any that may be in our water AND Chlorine (which is another chemical I prefer to stay away from)
Best of luck to you
We all get the flouride treatment (the paint on type) that our dentist recommends. I've always had issues with my teeth but since having the dental flouride treatment done I've been having near perfect six month check-ups. Our insurance plan covers one treatment per year for our daughter(s) so we pay the second out of pocket - I believe it's about $30. The same treatment for my husband and I is $15 a visit and since it's not covered my our insurance we also pay that out of pocket twice a year. All together it's just under $100 a year which is minimal compared to having dental work done =)
I would not get the treatments. There is more than enough fluoride in the water and tooth pastes and mouth washes. A lot of city's now are cutting back and/or taking out all fluoride from their water sources because of the damage it is causing to humans.
There is plenty of info on the internet about fluoride and just remember that they are not using natural fluoride in toothpastes or in the water. Most contain sodium fluoride.
We don't have fluoridated water at our house, so I always opt for my daughter to have the treatments. If we had it, I would probably opt for once a year. I am sorry, but when I was a kid dental care wasn't a big importance to my family and I suffered. If there is anything I can do for my child to help protect her teeth from cavities and the hell I went thru, I will do it.
Fluoride is one of the reasons that children today don't have a mouthful of fillings. It is not a waste of money and will save you a lot of money in terms of dental work. If the municipality you live in fluoridates the water, your child's teeth will be a lot healthier. We had to use fluoride supplements. Thank goodness for them, since my kids' teeth have no cavities at all, thanks to that. On the other hand, my husband and I had no fluoride when we were little, and both of us have a mouthful of fillings.
Get the fluoride treatments done.
Dawn
We all get the fluoride treatments at every checkup.
I understand that too much of even a good thing can be bad for you but we're out in the country on well water (which has no fluoride in it) so getting some at the dentist every 6 months is not a lot.
Do you have dental insurance? My insurance covers fluoride in children until they are 18. Also fluoride helps to strengthen the enamel of the teeth. Everyday toothpaste has fluoride in it so as long as it isn't swallowed it should be fine. Most dentists will brush it on the teeth or use a foam that sits on the teeth for about 3 minutes and then the patient spits it out. You aren't supposed to eat or drink anything for at least 30 minutes after using it.
The flouride treatment I got as a child growing up was like a gel in a mouth shaped cup, they stick it up on your teeth & gums for a certain length of time then rinse it off, we never ingested it. I'm glad I got the flouride treatment as a child. I'm sure the dentist wouldn't recommend it if they didn't think it necessary...after all, this treatment has been around for some time now. Good luck!
Most insurance will cover 1 fluoride treatment per year. But if your child goes to the dentist twice a year then you can pay for the additional fluoride treatment or opt not to do it. It's not meant to be swallowed, just swish & spit.
