For in office fluoride i use varnish on as young as 4. The trays i wait until they can handle it without gagging-usually 5-6. For at home fluoride 1 year old for fluoridated toothpaste.
Depends on the child — for fluoride at home, a child as young as one can have a touch of fluoridated toothpaste on occasion, but I don’t recommend a fluoride toothpaste for regular brushing (or something like ACT) until the child is able to spit it out. No particular age for varnish, either…depends on whether or not the child can handle having it on their teeth.
I read recently online that the ADA has now changed its official recommendation for children to begin brushing with fluoride toothpaste at age 1. However, every parent I have brought this up to has balked, saying there is no way their child wouldn’t swallow it. At first I responded that it would be such a tiny amount (as the recommendation is just a smear of toothpaste) but then I had a friend ask me if that was still OK if the child takes a fluoride vitamin, which would have topical and systemic effects. So then when I read about it some more, I read that kids who do take a fluoride vitamin should be careful of further fluoride ingestion like from toothpaste. So confusing!!!
Fluoride Varnish at age 4.
Fluoridated toothpaste age 1. Advise parent to use just a “smear” of toothpaste on toothbrush. The patient would have to ingest a large amount of toothpaste for it to cause any issues.
Fluoride varnish age 3 and up. Fluoride toothpaste “smear”,only if the child can rinse and spit.
Start Fl2 tx at 3-4 yrs old, depending on patient cooperation. Varnish if not too much saliva; paint on gel with suction in place for 1 min. if heavy saliva.
We start fluoride varnish at 3 years of age. We also recommend poly vi flor vitamins starting at age 3 and continue to recommend all kids in the area stay using it until 16. We are a non-fluoridated community.
We start with fluoride toothpaste at one as well. However we have a pediatric dentist at our office and she applies vanish at 2 years old.
Varnish at 2 yrs. A smear of fluoridated toothpaste on the teeth at home before they ever come in.
I don’t recommend any fluoride other than what they get from water supply or fluoride tablets if not in their water until the parents say they always spit out the toothpaste so that is usually around 5 or 6. When they don’t swallow I recommend fluoride toothpaste . We do use topical varnish as early as their first dental appointment because we can be sure they don’t swallow by using a saliva ejector !
Fluoride toothpaste at home starting around one year old and varnish in office around age three.
3 or 4 but there is an occasional child that swallows everythinggg…so…think outside the box 🙂
First tooth you can use fluoride varnish……. Usually by two or three varnish works great.
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