Many parents find it difficult to judge what dental care their children need. They want to keep their children’s teeth healthy by preventing tooth decay, but they don’t always know how best to do it. In addition, natural toothpastes are flooding into the market, raising concerns about fluoride safety for babies and toddlers.
There is a lot of confusing information in the media surrounding fluoride and fluoride-free toothpaste, according to the American Dental Association (ADA). The fluoride debate continues and here are the facts to help you decide which option is best for your child. There is no “wrong” choice because taking care of your teeth is more than just the type of toothpaste you use. It is also about regular cleaning and dental check-ups when caring for your teeth at home.
So what exactly is fluoride?
Fluoride is a mineral found in toothpaste and naturally found in drinking water and in certain foods.
The mineral is usually white or colorless and occurs all over the earth’s surface. Fluoride exists in gaseous, solid, and liquid forms, and when used in small amounts, the mineral has been shown to fight tooth decay and prevent tooth decay.
There is also fluoride in the bones and teeth. According to the Linus Pauling Institute (LPI) at Oregon State University, approximately 95% of all body fluoride is in teeth and bones. It also states that fluoride is not normally considered an essential mineral in the body because humans do not use it to grow or sustain life.
What does fluoride do?
Fluoride present in teeth and bones occurs naturally as calcium fluoride. While calcium fluoride, as mentioned earlier, may not be an essential element, the compound helps keep bones strong.
Calcium fluoride strengthens the mineral structure of the bones and teeth. In addition, the element increases the reliability and strength of connective tissues such as tooth enamel, bones, tendons, cartilage and ligaments.
A lack of fluoride in the body causes weak and brittle bones, tooth enamel decay, weakened connective tissue, cracks in the protective tissue that protects against environmental influences (epithelial tissue), as well as varicose veins and other health complications.
Via: freepik.com
Do your teeth really need it?
When used correctly, fluoride is very beneficial to your teeth by preventing tooth decay. In addition, studies have shown that using fluoride in toothpaste or drinking water is the most effective treatment for tooth decay to date. In addition, too much fluoride can lead to faint white streaks on tooth enamel, a defect known as dental fluorosis. It has also been reported that too much fluoride can cause cognitive disorders.
Until the discovery of fluoride toothpaste in the 1950s, toothpaste was purely scratch paste that tried to clean teeth with whole grain. In 1956, the American Dental Association approved the use of toothpaste containing fluoride, and tooth decay in the United States was reduced to record levels in a short period of time.
Much of the success of fluoride in toothpaste resulted in the use of fluoride in drinking water – at a time when oral health was at unprecedented levels. There is no doubt, therefore, that the past use of fluoride has been correlated with the general improvement in oral hygiene. Additionally, fluoride’s ability to protect and heal tooth decay improves our oral wellbeing.
However, fluoride toothpaste is not recommended for children under the age of six. This is because the children may not know how to spit out the paste and swallow it instead. Ingesting large amounts of fluoride can lead to abdominal diseases and fluoride poisoning. It’s also important to know that because of these concerns, fluoride in drinking water has been lowered to 0.07 ppm.
What about fluoride-free toothpaste?
Fluoride-free toothpaste types use natural ingredients like cranberry extracts, hydrated silica, and xylitol to remove dirt and kill bacteria. In addition, tooth decay prevention is one of the main reasons for good oral hygiene and fluoride-free toothpaste has also been developed to meet this need.
Xylitol, a natural sweetener and cavity-fighting element, has been clinically proven to be a safe alternative to fluoride, especially for children. In addition, fluoridated water (found in tap water) exposes your child to smaller amounts of fluoride that the body needs.
Fluoride-free toothpaste is also usually recommended for people who are allergic to fluoride, and the pastes are safe and effective. Adults too have chosen a fluoride-free diet because of concerns about the amount of fluoride they have been exposed to over the years.
Therefore, both fluoride toothpaste and fluoride-free toothpaste are viable options for your child’s oral health care routine.
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Simon books
(1013 published articles)
I’ve been a writer since 2012 and have enjoyed the trip so far. When I’m not writing like there’s no tomorrow, I like to hang out with my three daughters and watch Netflix.
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