Can Drinking Well Water Exclusively Hurt My Child’s Teeth?
By Richard Hamaty | Published on August 24, 2010 | 0 Comments
The quality of the water that children drink can significantly impact the health of their teeth, explains Dr. Richard Hamaty, a dentist in Yorba Linda, California. Specifically, regularly drinking water that has too much fluoride in it could cause a child’s teeth to warp into a dull gray shade. This is a symptom of an oral condition known as dental fluorosis. On the other hand, regularly drinking water that does not have any fluoride in it during a child’s formative years could cause that child’s teeth to form improperly and make him or her more prone to bacterial infections and decay.
These problems ring especially true for people whose homes run on well water, since the well water in some areas around the country has levels of fluoride that are much too high or too low for everyday drinking, according to Dr. Hamaty. Specifically in the Midwest, the majority of the well water that people have coming out of their faucets has levels of fluoride that are far too high for day-to-day consumption.
Fluoride is, of course, important for all children’s oral health. It helps build a solid shell of enamel around the teeth, which makes it more difficult for bacteria to penetrate the inner core of the teeth as children grow up. Drinking fluoridated water is just as important as getting braces or Invisalign to ensure that kids have healthy, straight smiles as adults, explains Dr. Hamaty.
Unfortunately, drinking excessive amounts of fluoride will cause a condition known as dental fluorosis. Having fluorosis as a child will cause permanent brown or gray spots to appear on the enamel of the teeth, which can be very unsightly and all but impossible to clean off. A patient in with fluorosis may need to undergo whitening procedures to get rid of the dark spots and bring back the natural white color that teeth are supposed to be. No amount of brushing and flossing will get rid of fluorosis, according to Dr. Hamaty, which is why people with this condition need to get in touch with a dentist immediately if they suspect they are having a problem.
Because fluorosis can be so damaging to a child’s oral health, it is important that parents across the county get proper measurements of the amount of fluoride in their water—whether it comes from a well or city lines. Overdosing on fluoride as a child can cause not only fluorosis, but also the malformation of teeth. Just as parents are willing to pay for braces or Invisalign to ensure that their children grow up with healthy looking smiles, they should also make an effort to find out exactly how much fluoride their children are ingesting each day by having their water tested.
If the fluoride level in a homeowner’s well water is below the normal limits, then Dr. Hamaty recommends adding a supplement to the child’s diet. Dentists can prescribe fluoride tablets that can be taken with each meal the child eats. Another option that parents can choose is to buy a specialty toothpaste enhanced with fluoride that is made for just this purpose.
Meanwhile, if the water coming out of someone’s well is above the healthy fluoride limits recommended for kids, then Dr. Hamaty recommends switching to bottled water or limiting the amount of well water the child ingests for a period of time.
Thankfully, problems regarding the safe limits of fluoride in well water are not as common as they once were. Now that more people are aware of what a damaging effect fluorosis can have on the teeth, they are more likely to take control of the situation to ensure that their children are getting the proper doses of fluoride on a daily basis without going overboard.
The best way to determine whether your child is getting enough fluoride in his diet is to take him for regular dental exams, says Dr. Hamaty. A dentist can establish the level of fluoride inside a child’s mouth and then measure that level each time the child comes in. In addition to that, dentists will usually do a fluoridation treatment for children once every six months.
*Disclaimer: The information on this website is not intended to substitute for the medical expertise and advice of your healthcare provider. We encourage you to discuss any decisions about treatment or care with an appropriate healthcare provider.