Apparently, at my daughter’s last dental check-up, the dentist or someone else at the dentist’s office told her not to use bottled water anymore. Now she doesn’t want me sending a bottled water with her lunches. Bottled waters are very convenient. Can you please tell me why she needs to stop drinking them?
A Frustrated Mom
Dear Frustrated Mom,
It sounds like your pediatric dentist’s office should do a better job at communicating with the parents and not just the children. It’s great to treat the children in a way that helps them take responsibility for oral health care. But, everyone needs to be on the same page for the sake of comprehension and family harmony.
Children tend to be very black and white. Your daughter likely misinterpreted what her dentist said. It’s more likely the dental office told her to make sure she’s drinking more tap water than bottled water. Tap water has fluoride in it. Bottled water doesn’t. Teeth, especially children’s teeth need fluoride to help them battle decay. She probably heard it was more important for her to drink tap water and thought that meant no more bottled water.
Giving her one with her lunch isn’t a problem, as long as she drinks out of the tap at home. Though, if you wanted to invest in a reusable water bottle, you’d likely save a lot of money. That way you’re daughter would feel like she’s doing what her dentist told her and you still have the convenience of sending her with water.
This blog is brought to you by Dr. Alana Macalik.