Too Much Fluoride Can Cause Permanent Tooth Damage

Too Much Fluoride Can Cause Permanent Tooth DamageJen Markham - When Karen Godshall's 8-year-old daughter Kristen was learning to brush her teeth, she didn't use kid-flavored toothpaste. "We didn't actually use some of the kids' toothpaste at first, because of that," Karen said. "Because I didn't want them to get used to that flavor of something they would eat, like a candy thing," Godshall said.
One of the main active ingredients in toothpaste is fluoride, an element that strengthens tooth enamel. It’s usually found in municipal drinking water.
Though fluoride can help fight tooth decay, a new study by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) shows that too much fluoride can cause permanent teeth discoloration - a condition called fluorosis. When too much fluoride is swallowed, the teeth become permanently stained with small white spots. Dr. Glen Spinelli of Spinelli Dental said "It's a permanent spot, it's permanent damage to the enamel. We can do things cosmetically to fix that, but…you really don't need toothpaste at all for 2 to 3 year-olds. Just tap water is fine."
Once children are four to five years old, dentists recommend parents start out with a very small amount of toothpaste, teach them how to spit, and to watch them to make sure they don't swallow. Kids are only at risk of fluorosis before their permanent teeth grow in, and while too much concentrated fluoride can be damaging, not enough fluoride can weaken developing teeth.
If children are drinking too much bottled water or unfluoridated well water, parents should talk to their dentist about getting fluoride supplements.
Parents of children under age six are also encouraged to know the concentration of fluoride in their drinking water, so they know how much toothpaste to use.