Downey Park Family Dentistry is excited to announce that our offices are reopen to serve our community. We are taking additional special measures to ensure the health and safety of our patients and team, and appreciate your understanding that things will look and function a bit differently in our office for the time being.
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Seeing your child get their first tooth is a huge moment for a lot of parents. It’s also a time when the children's dentist may begin to recommend a fluoride treatment.
Fluoride treatments help reduce the risks of tooth decay and are usually done around 2 to 4 times a year. But if your child is about to get one, you may have lots of questions about this treatment, how it works, and whether it’s really necessary.
Keep reading this short blog post to find out:
Fluoride treatment is a preventive measure used to reduce the risk of tooth decay. The treatment uses a special mineral called fluoride, which can strengthen the outer layer of the tooth (enamel).
The treatments alone cannot completely prevent cavities, meaning parents still have to make sure their child brushes their teeth and cleans their mouth properly after every meal. Still, these treatments can be quite effective in keeping your child’s teeth healthy and happy.
Yes, fluoride treatments are perfectly safe to use for children. The dentist will only apply a small amount of the solution to your child’s teeth, and almost no fluoride is swallowed at all.
The dentist will paint the top and sides of each too with a small brush. Once the solution is applied, it quickly hardens and is brushed away after a few hours. Don’t worry - the solution will only take a few minutes of brushing to remove from the tooth.
Applying the treatment is not painful at all. Still, your child may not be too happy about a new environment, so you may be asked to hold the child in your lap while the dentist applies the solution.
After their appointment, you should avoid giving your child very hot or cold foods or beverages. Stick to room temperature food and drinks instead, and don’t brush their teeth until a few hours after their appointment.
While fluoride treatments can help reduce the risk of tooth decay or even slow it down if it is already present, parents still need to focus on the little one’s oral health.
Some things parents can do include:
A children's dentist can help ensure your child’s smile is happy and healthy long-term. At First Smiles Children's Dentistry, we provide quality and compassionate services designed to ensure your little one’s oral health is properly taken care of.
If you’re interested in a fluoride treatment for your child, you can book an appointment with with Dr. Chris Ha online.
For more information, call our team at (209) 343-3500 today.
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