How Shall We Choose The Right Toothpaste For Our Child

Today I am following on from the topic from last week where I gave guidance on choosing the right toothbrush. Today I would like to focus on the toothpaste, because it is just as important as the toothbrush, and the alternatives in store are just as many.

Just like the toothbrush, the toothpaste should be appropriate for the age of the child. Here comes the essential question, toothpaste with fluoride or without fluoride? The European Academy of Paediatric Dentistry (EAPD), the American Academy of Paediatric Dentistry (AAPD) and our team at Dental Clinic Petar Duchev Kids recommend starting with fluoride toothpaste as soon as the first baby tooth erupts, which is around the sixth month.

Fluoride is a trace element that reduces the formation of dental plaque, inhibits demineralization and activates remineralization through the formation of fluorapatite. Fluoride reaches the tooth enamel through saliva. The fluoride content can be checked on the back of the toothpaste packaging and its unit of measurement is ppm. The fluoride content and the amount of toothpaste used depend on the age of the child.

• 0-3 years This is the period when the temporary dentition is formed. At this age, the amount of paste used is as much as a grain of rice and the fluoride content should be 1000 ppm. As the child cannot yet spit, I recommend the use of toothpastes without artificial colours or flavours.
• 4-7 years At this stage the replacement of temporary teeth with permanent teeth begins. The sixth teeth, whose enamel has not fully mineralized in the first two years, also erupt. This is the age when the toothpaste must be enriched with fluoride. The amount is still 1000ppm but the quantity used is as much as a pea.
• 8-18 years The teenage years are a very risky period for the development of cavities. One of the reasons is that there is a rapid replacement of temporary teeth with permanent ones, and the enamel of each chewing tooth needs about two years to fully mineralize. At this age, children are not very strict when it comes to brushing their teeth, plus orthodontic treatment with braces is very common. Each of these three factors creates a favorable environment for the development of cavities. It is recommended that the fluoride content is increased to 1450ppm and the length of the toothpaste piece placed on the toothbrush should have the same length as the head of the toothbrush.

Dear Parents, you are responsible for the brushing of your children's teeth until the age of ten. It should be done twice a day and it should take two minutes.

Dr. Angela Stoimenova  – Orthodontist

Dental Clinic Petar Duchev Kids

Dental Clinic Petar Duchev Ortho