I know that many parents have concerns about fluoride, but it’s been used for decades to protect teeth from decay. The fluoride in drinking water is systemic fluoride—in other words, it’s swallowed, ingested, and distributed throughout the body, including in the blood and saliva. The small amounts of fluoride in saliva essentially bathe your teeth in fluoride all day long. Toothpaste is a topical application of fluoride. This is just as important as that systemic fluoride, but even the amount of fluoride in toothpaste doesn’t compare to the concentration in professional fluoride treatments at the dentist. Systemic fluoride and topical fluoride from toothpaste and professional treatments are all needed for optimal oral health.