J.V.
I have been in the dental field for 20 years the last 10 of which I have been a dental hygienist. NO don't give him fluoride drops! All teeth are formed by 9 months of age. After that point internal fluoride is ineffective!
Brush the child's teeth every night..with a pea sized amount of toothpaste. The fluoride in the toothpaste is plenty. Most people don't realize fluoride is a naturally occurring mineral in ALL WATER. So juices you may mix or food has some small amount of fluoride. Never put to bed with bottles especially sugary or acidic items ( kool aid o.j. ect). They fluid "pools" in the mouth and causes bottle rot (rampant decay). I have had to educate many patients on the subject of fluoride drops and some pediatricians too.
I know they are "Dr.s" but you wouldn't ask them to do foot surgery on your child because that is not their area of study (meaning your general doctor). good luck! Please don't hesitate to ask any questions. Any of these facts can be located on line.
Tooth development is the complex process by which teeth form from embryonic cells, grow, and erupt into the mouth. Although many diverse species have teeth, non-human tooth development is largely the same as in humans. For human teeth to have a healthy oral environment, enamel, dentin, cementum, and the periodontium must all develop during appropriate stages of fetal development. Primary (baby) teeth start to form between the sixth and eighth weeks in utero, and permanent teeth begin to form in the twentieth week in utero.[20]
There is no research that indicates internal fluoride given after teeth development in utero is a "significant" benefit. However there is some research that indicates too much fluoride in the body may cause problems with bones and deposits in the liver. If there isn't anything that plainly says "It is good for you or will really help" but there are things that say "It may NOT be good" why take the chance? P.S. a cleft palate is a different situation all together.
Sorry one last thing. Fluoride is NATURALLY occurring in all water. Some water may have too little because it is not regulated by the Water Commission. However if you have well water it could just as well have more than what the Commission recommends. There is a simple test that is usually available through your local health department. You take them a sample of your water and they will test it for you. The recommended amount is ..6 ppm. The only way to get water without Fluoride is to actually have a device attached to a water supply that REMOVES it. In the case of bottled water it is not regulated by a water commission so they don't know how much is in it. But if the water company removed fluoride they should list that on the bottle.