Your child and fluoride

Fluoride has a favorable effect on oral and dental health as it makes teeth more resistant to tooth decay. It can help prevent caries and even eliminate existing caries.

Fluoridising community drinking water is a sure and effective way to prevent caries at a low cost. However, since2008, the drinking water for the City of Quebec no longer contains fluoride.

Since we no longer have access to this source of fluoride, it could be important to take measures to distribute specific fluorides to your child. It is also just as important to respect the maximum recommended quantities in order to avoid dental fluorosis (emergence of white spots on teeth).

As long as we carefully monitor total daily ingestion, use of fluoride remains one of the most important measures for the maintenance of good oral and dental health.

The personnel at the Dental Health Centre has the capacity to assess your child’s risk of developing tooth caries and can counsel you with regard to the appropriate rate of fluoride required to protect your child’s teeth on a daily basis.

During pregnancy, accordingto recommendations, the pregnant woman should undergo two dental hygienetreatments at the dentist’s office; one during the first trimester and one at the beginning of the third trimester.

In fact:

• Women suffering from periodontitis are up to 7.5-fold more at risk of giving birth to a premature baby or a low-birth-weight baby.
• Oral bacteria have the potential to cross the placental barrier and expose the fetus to infections.

Periodontal disease (inflammation of the tissues supporting the teeth: alveolar bone and gums) canbe avoided by regular monitoring by your hygienist.