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Fluorides.
Fluorides make the tooth more resistant to acid attack, enable the tooth to
remineralise (repair itself) more readily and interfere with the mechanism by
which bacteria causes tooth decay. They should not be used alone to fight tooth
decay without an alteration in the diet. In other words you should not binge on
sweets and rely on a high fluoride intake to counteract the effects of poor diet
control.
Diet control should be established first and the use of fluoride should be used
as an additional weapon against tooth decay.
Fluorides alone will not prevent decay.
Systemic Fluorides (those
that are swallowed) are taken when the teeth are developing during the first 16
years of life and would include:
Fluoride in the water supply at 1 part per million (ppm)
Fluoride tablets or drops
Fluoride specially made bread, salt and milk
These make the whole tooth structure and shape more resistant to tooth decay.
Although water fluoridation is the most effective public health measure against
tooth decay, fluoride is usually very low in water supplies in some areas of the
UK. In these areas you may wish to use fluoride tablets or drops. Although these
are readily available in shops you should regard them as medicines and only give
them to your children once you have discussed the implications with
your-dentist. If a child has too much fluoride mottling may be the result. If
you use tablets or drops the following guidelines should be adopted:
A
There must be a well-organized routine especially in a family with children of
different ages.
B
There must be a regular and correct daily dose related to the age of the child
(see below).
C
You must protect the child from overdose (the tablets should be secured in a
'child proof bottle in a secure medicine chest).
D
No other fluoride supplements should be used. This means not swallowing
toothpaste.
The
daily doses are:
If
the water supply has 0 - O.3ppm fluoride
Age
2 weeks - 2 years
0.25mg
Age
2 years - 4 years
0.5mg
Age
4 - Age16 years
1.0mg
If
the water supply has 0.3 -0.7pm fluoride
Age
2 weeks - 2 years
No supplements
Age
2 years - 4 years
0.25mg
Age
4 - Age16 years
0.5mg
From 0.7 - 1.0ppm fluoride, no tablets or drops are required.
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