Choosing the right toothpaste for your child
Choosing the right toothpaste is an essential step in keeping up a healthy routine of oral hygiene. Toothpastes come in various pastes and gels, containing different chemicals that reduce tooth decay, bad breath, gingivitis, and even whiten your teeth. Given all the choices available, as a parent you must ask yourself which one is right for your children? The following are several tips for choosing the right toothpaste for children to use.
ADA Seal of Approval
Approval by the American Dental Association is arguably the most important characteristic for choosing your toothpaste. The ADA seal is an assurance that the toothpaste you see has been approved for both safety and effectiveness.
Age-Appropriateness
It’s important to determine if your child is the right age to use fluoride-treated toothpaste. Fluoride is a chemical that strengthens tooth enamel in order to fight tooth decay. The ADA now recommends children, over the age of two, use fluoride toothpaste. It is extremely important that children under the age of three only use a smear of toothpaste, about the size of a grain of rice.
Toothpaste for Sensitive Teeth
There are many people, and children, with sensitive teeth. Fortunately, there are toothpastes available to cater to their needs. Sensodyne and Crest Sensitivity are two such toothpastes to reduce sensitivity, though they usually will require more than one application before tooth sensitivity is reduced.
If desensitizing toothpastes don’t alleviate your children’s pain or discomfort, contact us at Texas Pediatric Dentistry as we are equipped to form a treatment plan to eliminate the problem.
Whitening Toothpaste
Whitening toothpastes contain abrasives that remove surface stains to improve tooth appearance. This is different than professional polishing techniques, as whitening toothpaste only uses gentle polishing instead of chemicals. If you are considering whitening your child’s teeth, first talk to us about the most effective and safe treatment methods. Keep in mind that baby teeth are naturally a few shades lighter than adult teeth. This can be alarming to parents when their children’s white baby teeth fall out only to be replaced by darker adult teeth.
Gum Disease and Tartar Build-Up
There are certain toothpastes on the market that have compounds that can decrease the amount of tartar that builds up on teeth, as well as inflammation in gum tissues. Talk to us at your next hygiene appointment and we will make some recommendations.
