Bottled water can lead to problems

Parents should also be careful to avoid giving children too many reconstituted fruit juices because they may contain too little, or sometimes too much Fluoride. You can avoid this by purchasing juice that in the frozen concentrate form. Mix it with tap water (or bottled water with Fluoride added back in). That way, you know your child is getting Fluoridated water.

When applied topically, Fluoride strengthens teeth that already exist. Topical application of Fluoride includes:

1. Using toothpaste with Fluoride.
2. Using a mouth rinse with Fluoride.
3. Receiving a Fluoride treatment from a dentist.

Fluoride can also be ingested systemically which will cause the Fluoride to become incorporated into the structure of the tooth as it forms. Because a youngster's teeth are still forming, the child needs to intake Fluoride systemically, at least through age twelve. Examples of systemic intake of Fluoride include:

1. Drinking Fluoridated water.
2. Eating fish and/or tea.
3. Taking a pharmaceutical supplement such as tablets, drops, and lozenges available by prescription from a dentist or pediatrician.

For more information about this important subject, please visit the "Fluoride & Fluoridation" section of the American Dental Association web site.