Did you know that tooth decay is the most common childhood disease? Over 16 million children develop some sort of tooth decay every year. The best way for you to help your child avoid cavities and dental decay, is to make sure that they are brushing their teeth adequately each and every day. A big part of this, is to make sure that you are having your child brush with the right toothpaste.
Fluoride or not?
A lot of parents are unsure of whether or not to give their child that toothpaste that contains fluoride. Fluoride is a substance that, in short, strengthens your childs teeth and helps to prevent cavities. For this reason, we recommend that once your child is able to spit, you switch their toothpaste out for one that does contain fluoride. You don’t want your child swallowing large amounts of fluoride, which is why we suggest you wait until they are able to spit out the majority of their toothpaste to make this switch.
Brush twice a day
Your child should be brushing twice a day, and flossing once a day as well, as soon as they’re able to. When your child is young, you should let them get familiar with their toothbrush and brush on their own, but make sure that you are checking their mouth after to ensure they did a good enough job brushing, and assist them if you need to.
Avoid abrasive materials
Some toothpastes will have a mild abrasive substance to aid in removing debris. But they also can remove enamel from the teeth, which is the last thing that you want when it comes to your child’s teeth. Things like calcium carbonate, dehydrated silica gels, silicates, magnesium carbonate, and hydrated aluminum oxides are all abrasive substances you should steer clear of when picking your child’s toothpaste.
