Fluoride is a natural substance found in water, and is added to many municipal water supplies to help prevent cavities.
The Nemours Foundation offers these guidelines about the use of fluoride in children::
- Children should only use fluoride supplements if they live in areas with non-fluoridated water, or if they drink only non-fluoridated bottled water.
- Children under age 6 should never use a fluoride mouth rinse.
- Children under 6 months don't need fluoride supplements and shouldn't been given them.
- Fluoride toothpaste should not be used on children younger than 2 unless recommended by a doctor or dentist.
- Children should use only a pea-sized amount of toothpaste.
- Watch children up to age 6 when they brush their teeth to make sure that they spit out the toothpaste, and that not too much is swallowed.
If your child has regular nosebleeds, there are precautions you can take to help prevent the problem.
The University of Virginia Health System offers these suggestions:
- The air in your home may be dry. Use a cool mist humidifier, especially at night, in your child's room.
- Don't allow your child to blow the nose too hard, or pick the nose.
- Apply a small amount of petroleum jelly to the inside of the child's nose several times a day, and always at bedtime.
- Apply saline drops or nasal spray to the nose, as recommended by your pediatrician.
- If your child has allergies, seek regular treatment from the child's doctor.
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