What are Infant Fluoride Drops?
Children have fluoride in their toothpaste just like adults, but sometimes even this crucial aspect of oral healthcare isn’t enough to avoid tooth decay. For parents who are worried their children aren’t getting all the help they need to protect their oral health, you can always ask your dentist about fluoride drops, which are sometimes prescribed for children when their first set of teeth is still forming. If you want to know more about fluoride drops, then check out our quick guide below to learn more.
Fluoride’s Many Forms
Prescription fluorides can be topically dispensed via toothpaste, mouth rinses, or gels. For babies, however, the ADA recommends fluoride be systemically administered through drinking water and supplemental tablets and liquids. When taken orally, fluoride travels throughout the body and gets released into saliva in order to fortify teeth, which makes them stronger as well as more decay resistant. Regarding drops, they can be an effective, safe means of measuring and providing babies with systemic doses of fluoride that are appropriate for their age as well as their oral healthcare needs.
Why Provide Fluoride Drops to Infants?
Infants are prescribed fluoride drops to keep cavities from developing in the permanent and the primary teeth while both sets are forming. Fluoride drops are typically recommended for infants who reside in areas with water supplies not fortified by fluoride, which is the case in regions of the United States, Canada, Australia, and other countries. The US Department of Health and Human Services conducts scientific peer-reviewed studies regularly to decide safe fluoride levels of for public water supplies.
Distributing Fluoride Drops
When prescribing fluoride supplements, dentists or doctors must first discover the quantity of fluoride that’s present in an infant’s drinking water. State or local health departments can assess your water for when you don’t know the fluoride amount or use a well. Fluoride ion concentrations are measured via parts per million in both supplemental dosage and drinking water, but drops are usually pre-mixed as well as measured via milligrams, per the ADA.
Regarding liquid fluoride, it may be provided to children with food or without or even diluted with juice or water. Some prescriptions call for fluoride drops being given every day while others only need to be taken once per week. Many pharmacists will recommend babies or toddlers waiting until two hours have passed since taking the medication to drink, eat, or otherwise take other medication.
As with other medications, it's important that you keep fluoride out of your children’s reach. If they ingest an excess amount, it could lead to indigestion, stomach pain, or diarrhea. Other mild risks of excess fluoride over a longer period of time include possible fluorosis, which can cause white spots to develop on baby teeth. While it may appear strange, this condition is typically harmless and shouldn’t affect the child’s permanent teeth.
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