What are the Different Ways to Prevent Fluorosis?

Does your child have any white or brown spots on their teeth? To effectively manage them, it's vital to fully understand their reasons and symptoms, despite the fact that they may initially be frightening.

Dental fluorosis in the teeth is the reason for the brown or white patches on our teeth. They mainly affect children of 8 years or younger and are caused due to an excess of fluoride.

However, this condition is not serious and can be cured easily with the help of fluorosis toothpaste.

How Can Children Be Exposed To Fluorosis?

Fluoride is commonly found in our daily uses. Though they are a vital ingredient, being exposed to excessive fluoride can be detrimental to our teeth.

Fluorides are widely present in water. Due to their speciality in strengthening tooth enamel, they are used in making certain kinds of dental products. Some ways children can be exposed to fluorosis are:

1. Toothpaste

   Because fluorides are able to protect enamel from decay, they are found in toothpaste. Nonetheless, kids frequently tend to consume toothpaste. As parents, you may prevent kids from accidentally taking in fluoride by making sure they don't swallow toothpaste.

2. Mouthwash

   Like toothpaste, mouthwash contains fluoride for the same reason. While using mouthwash, your child must be under adult supervision. Warn them not to swallow mouthwash to avoid fluoride consumption.

3. Baby formulas

   In certain circumstances, mothers are incapable of breastfeeding their children. During these times, baby formulas come to the rescue. However, most formulas contain fluoride in them. It is, therefore, important to check the label of ingredients before feeding your baby for fluorosis prevention.

How To Prevent Fluorosis

The effects of fluoride on teeth can be harmful. Though it is not a serious condition, fluorosis can negatively affect your child's self-confidence. It can cause them to hide from making friends, thus hampering their social life. Here are some tips to prevent fluorosis.

1. Check Fluoride Content In Water

   The drinking water you use daily might be the root cause of your problem. Checking if your local water contains fluoride can be beneficial not only to yourself but also to your neighbouring children, especially if you use public water.

   Water should be checked at least once yearly to ensure the fluoride content remains at its minimum. Several tests have found that the fluoride content in public drinking water is more than in bottled water.

2. Visit Dentist For Dental Cleaning

   Children are only sometimes careful about their cleaning habits. As a parent, you must ensure your child goes to the dentist and gets checked.

   Besides teeth cleaning, you can also communicate the importance of teeth whitening or dental bonding. If needed, your dentist can cover up the spots or deep clean their teeth for a quicker result.

3. Ensure Daily Brushing

   As a parent, you must always ensure your child is brushing twice daily. However, it is also important to ensure they safely use toothpaste without swallowing since fluoride toothpaste uses high amounts of fluoride.

   Check before buying if your toothpaste has any fluoride contents. Several fluoride-free toothpastes, like Dabur Meswak, are available that perform similar functions.

4. Regulate Their Food and Drinks

   Certain food items contain fluorides, including raisins, oatmeal, and potatoes. Most fruits, including apples, bananas, watermelon, cherries, and strawberries, also contain fluorides.

   By regulating the food items, you feed your children, much of the fluoride content can be prevented from entering their bodies. However, since most food items contain fluoride, it can be possible to avoid it. This is why other preventive measures must be followed seriously.

5. Breastfeed If Possible

   As discussed earlier, baby formulas often contain fluoride in them. Infants, being at risk of consuming fluorides, must be kept away from these formulas. This is why breastfeeding is best recommended.

   However, breastfeeding can be inaccessible due to several reasons. In such cases, the parents or guardians should seek out formulas with negligible amounts of fluoride to prevent further problems.

Conclusion

Being a commonly found ingredient in our daily food items, water, and even dental products, fluoride is hard to prevent completely. This is why one should look into tips on how to prevent fluorosis.

Parents must seek out alternatives and do daily food and water checks. Since children are prone to fluorosis, the responsibility falls on the parents to keep the kids at bay. Also, ensure that your kids are not swallowing toothpaste or mouthwash and using fluoride-free dental products.

Read through all the preventive measures, and fluorosis will forever be away.

FAQs

• Does boiling or filtering of water get rid of fluorosis?

  Boiling of water does not get rid of fluorosis, instead, it concentrates the amount, which can be more harmful.

  Fluorosis cannot be removed by water-filtering methods without RO technology. However, this is not necessarily accessible since RO technology is costly and high maintenance.

• Does tea contain fluoride?

  Fluoride can be found in rich amounts in black tea or lemon tea. Any tea without milk is made by boiling water, which can raise the level of fluoride.

• What is the best anti-fluoride toothpaste?

  As popularly known, Dabur Red paste is highly in demand for non-fluoride lovers. It is an Ayurvedic oral care that makes use of modern pharmaceutical technology while using herbal ingredients as well.

• Are soft drinks safe from fluoride?

  Soft drinks including most children’s fruit juice boxes use fluoride as a preservative. Any market-made products must be checked well before consumption.