Did you know that Vancouver's tap water is not fluoridated?

Unlike many other cities across Canada, Vancouver does not add fluoride to its drinking water. Thus, to maintain healthy teeth, the Canadian Dental Association recommends that we brush our teeth with fluoride toothpaste.

But what about children? For children under the age of 3, the guidance is to use a rice grain sized amount of toothpaste and encourage them to spit out the excess after brushing – whether you should use a fluoridated toothpaste or not at this age depends on your child’s risk of developing tooth decay and should be discussed with your dentist. For children over the age of 3, fluoridated toothpaste should be used and the amount can be increased to a pea sized amount.