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Strengthening Teeth With Fluoride and Sealants in Onalaska, WI
Cavities are one of the most common childhood issues. While often viewed as a normal part of childhood, cavities can be quite serious; they're responsible for up to 51 million lost school hours each year. While good dental hygiene and regular visits to your dentist are essential, fluoride and dental sealants can also assist in cavity prevention.
Effective Fluoride Treatment for Children
Fluoride is often called nature's cavity fighter and for good reasons. Fluoride, a naturally occurring mineral, helps prevent cavities in children and adults by making the outer surface of the teeth, known as enamel, resistant to acid attacks that cause tooth decay.
Pediatric Dentistry of Onalaska is one of the best places for children's preventive dental care, including fluoride treatment. Call us at 608-781-9114 to schedule an appointment.
We work with most insurance companies.
Use Toothpaste and Mouth Rinse with Fluoride
Toothpaste with fluoride has been responsible for a significant drop in cavities since 1960. For best results, look for one with the ADA Seal of Acceptance to ensure it contains fluoride.
Take a Fluoride Supplement
Available by prescription only, fluoride supplements are available in tablet, drop, and lozenge forms. Fluoride supplement is recommended only for children between the ages of six months to 16 years, living in areas without adequate amounts of fluoride in their community drinking water, and those at high risk of developing cavities.
Talk to your dentist, pediatrician, or family physician about your child's specific fluoride needs.
- For additional information on fluoride, visit the following sites:
- The American Dental Association's Fluoride and Fluoridation website
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Community Water Foundation website
- Campaign for Dental Health website
How to Prevent Cavity Formation
- Prevents tooth decay. Fluoride in water is the most efficient way to prevent one of the most common childhood diseases – tooth decay. An estimated 51 million school hours and 164 million work hours are lost yearly due to dental-related illness. Community water fluoridation is so effective at preventing tooth decay that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention named it one of 10 great public health achievements of the 20th century.
- Protects all ages against cavities. Studies show that fluoride in community water systems prevents at least 25 percent of tooth decay in children and adults, even in an era with widespread availability of fluoride from other sources, such as fluoride toothpaste.
- Safe and effective. For 70 years, the best available scientific evidence consistently indicates that community water fluoridation is safe and effective. It has been endorsed by numerous U.S. Surgeons General, and more than 100 health organizations recognize the health benefits of water fluoridation for preventing dental decay, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Medical Association, the World Health Organization, the American Dental Association, and the American Academy of Pediatrics.
- Saves money. The average lifetime cost per person to fluoridate a water supply is less than that of one dental filling. For most cities, every $1 invested in water fluoridation saves $38 in dental treatment costs.
- It's natural. Fluoride is naturally present in groundwater and the oceans. Water fluoridation is the adjustment of fluoride to a recommended level for preventing tooth decay. It's similar to fortifying other foods and beverages, like fortifying salt with iodine, milk with vitamin D, orange juice with calcium, and bread with folic acid.
To give your children the best possible preventive dental care in Onalaska, WI, call us at 608-781-9114 to schedule an appointment.
Top-Notch Sealants
It is quite obvious that growing children need special care. Dr. Flood of Pediatric Dentistry Of Onalaska has some tips for you that will help you see the effectiveness of sealants in preventing cavities on your children's back or posterior teeth!
Sealants and fillings help prevent decay by sealing in the back teeth's deep pits and fissures. These areas are prone to decay as they easily attract bacteria, and plaque accumulates in these deep crevices.
Sealants are a plastic-like material used for filling the deep grooves of the chewing surfaces of the posterior teeth. The material hardens after placement, providing a smooth surface over the pits and fissures. This prevents plaque and bacteria from invading these areas.
Call 608-781-9114 to schedule an appointment. Your child will love our compassionate doctor and friendly staff! We deal with most insurance companies.
Sealants and fillings require periodic replacements as natural wear and tear occurs over time. To learn more about this, check out the "Doctor is In" section on our Facebook page.
Why Sealants Are Useful
Sealants are tooth-colored plastic films that seal off fissures and cavities in the posterior teeth, mainly molars and premolars. A fissure sealant is extremely useful because it allows a dentist to clean the grooves where bacteria and plaque deposit and place them back without weakening the teeth.
The enamel is not touched. Even after brushing and flossing, plaque may deposit in the hidden corners of the back teeth, which are generally inaccessible. Contact Dr. Flood to get the vulnerable sections of the still-developing teeth of your child sealed off. Don't take a chance. Call us today!
Call (608) 781-9114 now – we can help you schedule a dental appointment.