I'm furious

[jemar]

Just returned from the dentist. My 3 year old has no cavities. Everything fine. But they put fluoride on her back teeth WITHOUT ASKING ME! I am so pissed. I saw the little brush after he had used it and asked "What's that?" Dentist: "Oh, we like to put a little on their back molars." Me: "Isn't she a little young for that." Dentist: "I just put very little."

I was too shocked/stunned for a rebutal, plus DD was screaming the whole time. I need hugs. Someone tell me it's not that bad.

We do not do fluoride toothpaste and our water filter takes out most fluoride.

[mysticmomma]

topical fluoride is really good for teeth. It's ingesting it that makes it bad. She's gonna be fine!

[Snapdragon]

A Little fluoride isn't bad IMO. I actually use fluoride toothpaste by conscious choice but I know many do not think it is safe. But even if it wasn't, that would only be the case by repeated regular use. One time in a little ones mouth- they will flush that right out.

[dannic]

I would be upset that he did it without permission, and I'm more of your opinion that it's not good to use. However, just the once shouldn't be any worse than what she gets from a public water fountain, I'd think.
Just be sure to tell them that you don't want it before he goes messing with the teeth. IMO, he ought to have asked. (But not sure what the protocal is with dentists these days...probly need to visit one, lol)

[Ahappymel]

I hope you don't mind my saying....
But unless you establish the standard to begin with (especially when you enter a care situation where the established standard is pretty much the same from one patient to the next), he was just probably thinking to do the same thing he would do for any patient.
I think it's really important to say "No Fluoride" upfront when we visit a dentist tsince they routinely use that substance in their practice.

[Ruthla]

I personally don't have a problem with the twice-yearly flouride treatments on my kids' teeth. This is getting the flouride right where it's likely to do good, and without much risk of ingesting it (such as with flouridated water, or even with flouride toothpaste that might not be rinsed out thoroughly.) This is the only flouride my kids receive (except for DD1 who uses flouride toothpaste because she's had a lot of cavities lately, and at age 14 I can trust her not to swallow any!)

But, if you really want to completely avoid flouride at the dentist's office, you need to tel them that before they start working on her teeth. I always tell the dentist not to use anything with food coloring in DD2's mouth, and I remind them every time she's in there. She got her teeth polished without any toothpaste, just with the special machine. And if she ever needs a filling, she won't be able to receive the numbing gel in her gums before getting a novacaine shot. They'll use either one without really thinking about it, so I remind them each time that she can't have those.