Nowadays, toothpastes come in a variety of different brands and flavors, specially made for kids. There is a multitude of choices available that can actually make choosing the best toothpaste for your child a daunting task than expected.
Choosing the right toothpaste is an important factor to promote good oral hygiene and in keeping the healthiest smile possible for your child.
What exactly is a Toothpaste?
Toothpaste is a product that cleans the teeth and maintains oral hygiene. It contains health increasing components such as fluoride, antibacterial agents and mild abrasives.
The fluoride helps strengthen the hard enamel surface of the teeth to help protect them from cavities. The antibacterial agent destroys the bacteria in the mouth, preventing bad breath and the formation of dental caries. On one hand, the mild abrasive, through the help of a toothbrush, help scrub off the stains on the tooth surface.
Why Is It Important to Use Toothpaste?
The human mouth contains thousands of different types of bacteria that group together to form a film over the teeth known as plaque. If the plaque isn’t eliminated thoroughly, it can build up over time causing a number of oral and dental issue such as tooth cavities, halitosis or bad breath and gum disease.
It is important to brush your teeth twice a day using fluoridated toothpaste to reduce the risk of the developing dental health problems, promote general health and wellbeing and help create a lasting healthy smile.
How to Choose the Best Toothpaste for Kids
To help you decide the right toothpaste for your kid, consider the following guidelines:
Look for the ADA Seal. Choose a toothpaste that has been approved as sage and effective for use. To make sure you’re buying a quality product, look for the seal of approval of the American Dental Association, known as the ADA Seal of Acceptance, which can be found on the toothpaste packaging. The ADA Seal ensures that the toothpaste have been approved and tested as safe by the ADA Council on Scientific Affairs. However, the most reliable person for dental product recommendations is still your child’s pediatric dentist. Being a specialist, he/she can provide direction and guidance in choosing the best toothpaste for your child.
Stay away from harsh abrasives. Looking for an age-appropriate toothpaste for your little one is actually tricky, since some products consist of harsh ingredients that could erode young tooth enamel – the tooth’s protective outer coating. Abrasives are key in removing the plaque and polishing the teeth. The problem is, some products contain large amount of alumina and phosphates which can be too harsh for young enamel. This may cause your child’s teeth to become too sensitive. Talk to your pediatric dentist which toothpaste brand is age appropriate for your child.
Choose a product with fluoride. Based on the American Dental Association, kids of all ages must use toothpaste that contains fluoride. It helps protect the teeth from plaque and cavities. But ingesting fluoride isn’t healthy, particularly for young children, so the amount of toothpaste use should be controlled.
Consider flavor. While flavor may not be considered relevant to oral health, deciding a toothpaste that actually tastes good may help your child get more excite about tooth brushing. Some kids don’t like the ‘spicy’ or ‘minty’ taste. Most adults prefer this flavor but kids tend to brush more when using fun toothpaste flavors such as bubble gum or strawberry.