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Tooth decay is the most common childhood disease, with more than 16 million children suffering from them each year. Oral disease also leads to just over 51 million school hours lost every school year. So how can you help prevent your child from getting cavities? You can buy them toothpaste that works to protect their teeth.  

What Type of Toothpaste is Best for My Child? 

Look for… 

The ADA Seal of Approval

Look for the American Dental Association’s seal of approval when buying any dental or oral care products. The seal will be easily viewable on the box. The ADA’s stringent testing procedures help ensure that you’re buying a useful product that actually works.  

Fluoride

For more than half a century, the ADA has recommended using toothpaste containing fluoride to prevent cavities. Fluoridated toothpaste does an excellent job of cleaning teeth, but make sure that your child spits all of it out and rinses their mouth thoroughly after brushing since ingesting excessive fluoride can lead to a condition called fluorosis.  

Avoid Abrasives

Mild abrasives remove debris and residual surface stains from teeth, but they can also remove enamel. Avoid whitening toothpastes for your children that contain abrasives like: calcium carbonate, dehydrated silica gels, hydrated aluminum oxides, magnesium carbonate, and silicates.  

Enjoyable Flavors

Your goal is to get your child to brush twice per day for two minutes each time. A lot of children find that mint or other traditionally flavored toothpastes are too “spicy” for them. You can find flavors that aren’t too harsh on their sensitive palates. Children’s toothpaste often comes in fun flavors like berry and bubblegum, and sometimes features some of their favorite cartoon characters or superheroes on the container.  

Begin a Good Cleaning Routine Early

Just because your toddler doesn’t have teeth doesn’t mean you shouldn’t clean their mouth! You can clean toddler’s gums with a clean, damp cloth by gently running away residual food. By doing this, you are actually improving the health of the baby teeth that will soon erupt, and familiarizing them with oral care early in their life. 

Does Your Child Brush Twice per Day?

To prevent cavities and tooth decay, your child should be brushing twice per day for two minutes at a time, and floss once per day. If they are complaining of sensitive or painful teeth, then visit our office for further evaluation. Our team will check their mouth for signs of tooth and provide them with a treatment plan that will get them a healthy smile that lasts a lifetime.

Different types of mouthwash have different benefits like preventing tooth decay, reducing plaque, freshening breath, and reducing and preventing gingivitis. But with so many products on the market it can be hard to know what to look for in a mouthwash. Additionally, it’s tough to know which types of mouthwash are safe for your children to use. Never fear, parents! We’ve outlined some of the things you should look for when finding the right mouthwash for your child.  

Consider Your Goals

First, you have to figure out what you want to accomplish by using mouthwash. Are you looking to clear up bad breath? Do you want to reduce tooth decay or alleviate mouth sores? If you know what you want to get from a mouthwash, then you’ll be better prepared to choose the right one for your child. 

Look for Therapeutic Mouthwash

There are generally two types of mouthwashes available: cosmetic and therapeutic. Cosmetic mouthwash gives your mouth a clean, pleasant taste and reduces bad breath. However, cosmetic mouthwash treats the symptoms of bad breath, not the causes of the problem. 

Therapeutic mouthwash helps treat tooth decay, prevent gingivitis and reduces plaque buildup. Therapeutic mouthwash may not freshen your breath as well as cosmetic mouthwash, but it will help fight the causes of bad breath. 

Find Kid Friendly Mouthwash

There are a number of mouthwashes that are designed specifically for children. They are usually alcohol free, and feature popular children’s cartoons and come in flavors that kids enjoy like bubblegum, wild berry and grape. Mouthwash for kids is usually therapeutic, and helps prevent cavities. It usually contains no alcohol, and is easier on their mouth than cosmetic mouthwash.  

Look for the ADA Seal of Approval

The American Dental Association – known as the ADA – tests oral products for effectiveness and safety. To attain the ADA seal of approval, a product must prove to be safe and effective. That’s why we suggest that you look for products with the ADA seal of approval. This will help you find a mouthwash that has been rigorously tested and approved by a legitimate association that advocates for oral health.  

Mouthwash IS Safe for Your Child

Alcohol-free mouthwash is safe for children in small quantities. As a rule of thumb, mouthwash should not be used by children under the age of six. However, in some instances a pediatric dentist may prescribe mouthwash for a child beneath that age, but that usually only occurs in special cases.  

Schedule an Appointment with Our Office

Our office helps parents teach their children about earning a healthy smile, and keeping it long after they leave our office. If you’re concerned about your child’s teeth, or they complain of sensitive teeth, then bring them into our office. We will evaluate their smiles and offer a variety of treatment options that fit their case. We will also show you ways to keep their teeth healthy at home.

Did you knot that cavities are the leading reason for children missing time at school? Luckily, cavities are almost entirely preventable. As your child gets into the groove at school, it’s important that they stay healthy all year long to avoid missing valuable class time. Here are some helpful tips that will help keep their teeth clean and keep them in class.   

Establish a Consistent Brushing Routine

Avoiding cavities begins with proper, routine oral care. The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry advises that everyone brushes their teeth twice per day, for two minutes each session. By brushing for the proper amount of time, you help ensure that they are cleaning all of the bad bacteria off of their teeth and preventing cavities. Be sure that your child brushes the entire surface of their teeth, including the backside– which is often neglected.  

It can be tough to convince your child to brush for the full two minutes, but there are some fun ways to help them achieve better brushing results. Go Online to find tooth brushing videos for children. Most of these videos are at least two minutes long, and help keep kids engaged and focused while they brush.  

Reduce Sugar Intake

Too much sugar can cause tooth decay, we all know that. But how does it work? When sugar is consumed, bad bacteria in the mouth feeds off of it and create acids that destroy tooth enamel. Try limiting the amount of sugar your child eats to keep their enamel strong and prevent cavities. Additionally, reduce the amount of starchy carbs that they consume (like bread and chips) to keep their teeth strong. When left in the mouth for too long, starchy carbs eventually turn into sugar and fuel bad bacteria.  

Look at beverages when reducing sugar your child’s sugar intake. Try to avoid serving them fruit juice, sports drinks and colas, which all contain a high amount of sugar.  

Add More Water

Did you know that saliva is 99% water? Or that saliva is critical in the fight against cavities? This makes it imperative that your child drinks plenty of water so that they can keep their enamel strong, and stay cavity-free. By drinking enough water, your child can avoid dry mouth and ensure that their saliva is produced at an optimal rate. 

Floss Daily

Brushing twice per day is a great way to clean most of the surface area of teeth, but it doesn’t clean all of it. The AAPD recommends that everyone floss once per day, and to floss between every tooth. Flossing clears food debris from the cracks between teeth. Food debris can fuel bad bacteria that cause plaque buildup and cavities. Try to floss with your child at first, so that you can show them the ropes. Once you’re confident that they can do it on their own, implore them to floss nightly before bed.  

Add Dairy

Dairy products like milk, cheese and yogurt are a great source of calcium, which plays an important role in strengthening teeth. In fact, the body stores 99% of its calcium in bones and teeth! Milk and dairy products reduce tooth decay by strengthening tooth enamel – the first line of defense against cavities. Try giving your child the recommended amount of dairy products daily. We suggest milk, cheese and yogurt as excellent sources of calcium that kids love.  

Visit Our Office

Tooth decay is painful and can affect the overall health of developing mouths, which is why early treatment is the best way to handle cavities. Routine checkups every six months are the best way to stay on top of your child’s oral health.  

Schedule an appointment with our office today to check your children’s oral health, and to begin them down the path to a healthy smile.