Fluoride for Kids in Bend: What Our Water Does (and Doesn't) Do

Parents who move here from Portland suburbs, Seattle or California are often surprised to learn that Bend does not add fluoride to its public water. Neither do Redmond or Sisters. Many private wells in Deschutes County have low natural fluoride levels too.

That doesn’t mean your kids are doomed to cavities. It just means the fluoride they get has to come from somewhere else.

Where kids get fluoride here

Toothpaste. This is the big one. Use a smear the size of a grain of rice from the first tooth until age three, then a pea-sized amount. Spit, don’t rinse; the fluoride left behind keeps working.

Varnish at checkups. A thin coat of flouride varnish painted on at each cleaning takes about a minute and is covered by nearly every insurance plan for children. It’s sticky for a few hours and then brushes off.

Prescription supplements. For children at high risk of cavities who drink mostly well or city water, we sometimes prescribe chewable fluoride tablets. We test well water first if you have it; too much fluoride while teeth are forming can cause white spots.

Sealants are the other half

Fluoride protects smooth surfaces well. The deep grooves on top of the back molars are where most children’s cavities start, and fluoride can’t fully reach them. Sealants are a thin plastic coating that fills those grooves. We usually place them on the six-year molars and again on the twelve-year molars.

Snacks matter more than sugar

How often your kids eat matters more than how much sugar is in any one snack. Crackers, dried fruit and sports drinks sipped all afternoon do more damage than a slice of cake at dinner. Keep snacks to set times and give the mouth a few hours to recover in between.

Have questions about your child’s risk? Ask at your next visit; we’ll walk you through it.