[AdoptingABaby]

My pediatrician prescribed flouride drops for my daughter. Anyone else give these to their children? I really hate the idea of pumping chemicals into my little one's body! I'd much prefer a topical treatment, but at 12 months, that may not be practical.

Thanks!

[frankiegirl]

I have given my child drops since she has been home. My sister stopped giving her kids the drops at a young age and her dentist whom they love and value was very upset that they stopped the drops. My nephew has had several problems with his teeth and I feel it is from them not getting the flouride

[WVUMom418]

We are on a well instead of city water, so we do give both of our girls the drops.

[hesabanana]

We have a well also....I don't do the drops, I buy fluoridated water to mix their formula and juice.

[xmasgirl2000]

My sisters doctor recommended that for her bio-son as she is on well water.

[KayV]

We gave them to both our children also, we're on well water. Neither of my children have had any cavities. My sister and brothers were also brought up on flouride drops and flouride vitamins, and all of us are in our 30's. Not one of us has a cavity. I'm convinced it's because of the flouride.

KayV

[JosieWales]

We have well water too, and we give DS vitamins drops w/fluoride. I wouldn't worry about giving it! It's a helpful chemical!

[jeannecr]

We also have a well, and are giving the drops. Also, there are some cities which don't flouridate the water. I went to medical school in such a town, and the children's teeth there were horrible (lots of cavities at early ages). To me, it is just like giving vitamins and minerals to your child. In fact, it is a mineral.

[AdoptingABaby]

Thanks for the feedback! Is anyone worried about the neurotoxicity of fluoride? That's my main concern, not so much her teeth.

[nurse_reedle]

This is my opinion. We do not give flouride. I talked to a dentist I work with and his opinon is that in just exactly the right amount, flouride can be good, but it is WAY too easy to overdose on it and if overdosed, it can lead to it's own set of dental problems. I, personally, think if we needed flouride so badly, then God would have given us a much more natural AND consistent way of getting it. My sis has horrible teeth with dark spots and many cavities. I believe it is from the flouride and my parents were told that the spots were definitely from the flouride. She had to have her teeth capped at a very young age, etc. I have a brother with similar spots on his teeth. I, on the other hand, have very minimal problems with my teeth. My mom, who never was given flouride AND grew up on well water, has PERFECT teeth, with NO cavities. Who knows. With flouride being in our water and our toothpaste, I am too worried about overdosing and don't see the risks outweighing the benefits. Think about it, if you have well water, but they spend time at school or daycare or whereever, then you really need to test their water too, or you could be overdosing too. IMHO, flouride is just not that great of stuff.

[Tamiswaiting]

I looked into this because Kevin's doctor prescribed a multivitamin w/fluoride and Kevin had a painful couple of days with his belly hurting (I assume it was the multivite-not the fluoride). Anyway...turns out that the ADA reversed its position on babies ingesting fluoride. The theory that ingesting fluoride prevents cavities has been disproven. Topical fluoride is much safer. If you Google "ADA fluoride drops", you can see the article on it. Needless to say, I discontinued Kevin's.

[karar]

As a dentist I would not recommend fluoride drops in infants under 6 months old. However, if a child over the age of 6 months does not get ingested fluoride from any source, then fluoride drops may need to be considered.

There is a difference in the reasons to have systemic(ingested) and topical fluoride. Systemic fluoride is beneficial during the formation of teeth. The systemic fluoride will allow the teeth to form stronger and less prone to cavities.

Topical fluoride is beneficial after formation of the teeth. This is why adults only need the topical form since their teeth are already formed. I have included a link to the ADA's guideline for fluoride supplements.

ADA.org: A-Z Topics: Fluoride & Fluoridation: Facts About Fluoride

Please PM me if you have any ?'s.

[Tamiswaiting]

Now I'm really confused. The date on that site is 1994, but the article I read said they reversed their (ADA) recommendation in November of 2006...is this incorrect then? If it is, can fluoride drops come without being in a multivitamin? I don't want to do wrong by my son...

ADA reverses position, warns its members that fluoride is too dangerous to be consumed by infants

[jeannecr]

Tam, the link you give is for an organization which is interpreting the ADA posting. That posting is itself just one research article, not a guideline. I looked at the ADA site, and the article mentioned by the dentist above is still current. Also, I checked the CDC, and they are still recommending fluoride supplementation. However, they do caution that to avoid risk of fluoridosis, the total fluoride intake in water, supplements, and toothpaste should be limited.

Here is the link: Recommendations for Using Fluoride to Prevent and Control Dental Caries in the United States

[guatparents2be]

there is a great deal of controversy about the risks and benefits of ingested fluoride. many dentists recommend it, but then again many dentists also say that it is harmless to have mercury (aka poison) in our mouths too. i just can't buy that one...neither, by the way, does my dentist.

i will do topical fluoride with my child, but nothing beyond that. before i add anything that doesn't occur naturally in food or water i want to be convinced it cannot do harm, and i am not there, personally, with fluoride.

that said, it is also not a natural condition to eat corn syrup, refined sugar, soda pop, concentrated fruit juice, candy, white bread, etc. all of these things on teeth encourage caries and tooth decay.

as long as he is under my watch, my son won't get these things, he will have his teeth brushed after every meal, and hopefully i will have made the right choice about the fluoride...

ah, parenting...difficult decisions at every turn...