Fluoride toothpaste for children's teeth: Advantages and Safety

Advantages

Toothpaste didn't provide much hope for improving oral health before the 1950s. Clinical studies of a fluoride-enhanced toothpaste including 1,500 children and 100 adults didn't start until scientists with the Proctor & Gamble company did so in 1952. The first fluoride toothpaste, known as Crest, was introduced four years later.

The researchers discovered—and subsequent research supported—that fluoride helps prevent cavities in three crucial ways:

1. Fluoride helps to "remineralize" tooth enamel by adhering to decayed areas and luring other minerals, such as calcium, to the damaged area.

2. By encouraging the creation of fluorapatite, a type of dental enamel that is remarkably resistant to acids and bacteria, fluoride prevents further decay.

3. Fluoride has antibacterial effects that not only stop bacteria from growing but also stop them from adhering to teeth.

Cavities that have already formed cannot be reversed, however fluoride can halt their progression. The majority of dentists advise brushing twice everyday because of this. The higher the cavity prevention, both in toothpaste and water supplies, the more frequently people are exposed to fluoride.

Free of Fluoride Toothpaste

Consumers who are either drawn to "natural" products or who would prefer to avoid fluoride for whatever reason have grown more accustomed to using fluoride-free toothpaste. Some are said to contain substances like baking soda or others that have antibacterial properties.

Fluoride is supposedly unnecessary if you avoid sugar and brush your teeth frequently to get rid of plaque, according to proponents of fluoride-free toothpaste.

The issue with this claim is that sugars can be found in a wide variety of our dietary sources, including dairy items, fruits, and vegetables. Additionally, routine tooth cleaning doesn't affect the processes that cause dental decay, such as the essentially invisible demineralization of tooth enamel. Non-fluoride toothpaste can offer you a sparkling smile and fresh breath, but it is much less likely to stop tooth erosion, gingivitis, and calculus formation (tartar).

These justifications explain why brands of fluoride toothpaste receive the ADA Seal of Acceptance but brands of fluoride-free toothpaste do not.

Safety

Despite all of its benefits, fluoride toothpaste has some disadvantages. If used improperly, fluoride toothpaste can damage developing teeth.

Dental fluorosis, as the illness is known, affects children while their teeth are still erupting. Fluoride exposure that is too high at this period may cause the tooth enamel to become less mineralized, a condition known as hypomineralization. On the surface of the teeth, this can result in opaque white areas.

Dental fluorosis can cause surface irregularities on the teeth (such as ridges, pits, and indentations) if left untreated, some of which may last into adulthood. Even though there is a definite connection between fluoride and fluoridosis in children, researchers have not yet pinpointed the precise mechanism that causes hypomineralization.

Children aged six and younger are most frequently affected by fluorosis, with infants at risk being those under two years old.

Most of a child's permanent teeth will have grown in and finished development by the time they turn seven, lowering the risk of fluoridosis.

Fluorosis in the teeth can develop in youngsters for a variety of reasons, including fluoride-containing toothpaste. Fluoridated mouthwash and toothpaste residue, as well as drinking fluoridated water, are common offenders.

Contrary to popular belief, fluoride exposure during pregnancy does not enhance a child's risk of developing dental fluorosis.