Give
parents a choice between soda, a juice box or a bottle of water for their
children and most would probably go for the bottle water. What many people
don’t realize is that opting for bottled water, though better for their
children than soda or sugar-loaded fruit juice, is missing a key ingredient
their children need: fluoride.
Fluoride
is critical for growing strong, healthy teeth. For younger patients, fluoride
actually hardens teeth, making them more cavity-resistant. Unfortunately, more
and more people are opting for bottled, filtered water, which has no fluoride.
Some
communities, like Weymouth, have fluoride in the water—a great way to help
their children grow strong healthy teeth. Because of the taste, many people
prefer bottle water or filtered water over tap water and pass that habit on to
their children. But kids still need fluoride to help their teeth develop.
How
much? According to the American Dental Association, children should consume
fluoride through drinking water or supplements in the following amounts:
Birth to six months – none
Six months to three years – .25 mg/day
Three to six years – .5 mg/day
Six years to 16 years – 1 mg/day
Many
dentists have younger patients take fluoride supplements, whether they live in
a community where the tap water has fluoride or not. If your child is under 10
and not taking supplements, please contact our office at 781-335-0604.
To
find out whether or not your town is a fluoridated community, please click on
this link to go to a map from the Massachusetts Dental Society website, www.massdental.org. You can also call your town’s Water Department.
