1. At what age is it appropriate to use toothpaste to clean my child' s teeth?

The appropriate age to use the tooth paste varies from child to child. Fluoride is the most important ingredient of the kids tooth paste. It helps to prevent forming cavities on your child' s teeth. You can start using toothpaste as soon as your child learns to rinse and to spit out the tooth paste left after brushing. If your child swallows tooth paste, the fluoride from tooth paste can cause white or brown spots on his or her permanent teeth (called fluorosis). Generally speaking, you can start brushing your child' s teeth at age of 6 months with the smear layer of tooth paste. You should encourage your child to brush his/her teeth at early age at least twice a day, for 2 minutes usually in the morning and at night just before bed time. It is advisable to supervise them until age seven or eight. Using the Disclosing tablets will help your child to see the areas that have been missed during brushing. When first teeth appears in the mouth, start using a children' s size tooth brush (soft rounded bristles) in small circular motion very gently. You should engage your child to brush himself or herself as soon as they are able to hold the tooth brush, then you brush your child' s teeth. You can use any brand or type of tooth paste as long as it contain fluoride in it. You should use ADA (American Dental Association) approved tooth paste, as it had been tested for safety and efficacy. As you clean other parts of your child' s body, you should clean your child' s mouth thoroughly and regularly to keep looking good and healthy. Lots of research support the link between health of the mouth and the health of the rest of body. If the mouth of your child is healthy and clean, the rest of the body of your child will be healthy too.


2. Toothpaste: when should we begin using it and how much should we use?

You should begin to clean your child' s mouth as soon as possible. In infant or toddler you should use soft damp washcloth wrapped around finger( or terrycloth finger cot) and water to clean their gums. You can use a "smear" of toothpaste to brush your child' s ( age up to 2 years) teeth, but it is not necessary to use toothpaste. After age 2, you can use the toothpaste about the size of a small pea. If your child is less than three years old, you should use the toothpaste that contains 1000ppm fluoride. If your child is over three years old, you should use the toothpaste that contains between 1350ppm and 1500ppm of fluoride.


3. How do I make my child' s diet safe for his teeth?

You should provide a well-balanced and varied diet to your child. It should include dairy products, fruits, vegetables and other source of calcium and vitamin D. Encourage your child to avoid any food or drink that has added sugar as well any sticky food with high sugar content. Any snack you give to your child should be low in sugar and should be eaten at mealtime only. Snacking throughout the day with sugary food can increase the risk of cavities on your child' s teeth. You should avoid to give milk or juices from a bottle after the age of 12 months. Encourage your children to brush their teeth after eating. Discourage your child having frequent snacks or drinks during the day. It is not important to know how much sugar or acidic drink your child take, it is important to know how often he/she takes them, as the risk of teeth decay and chemical erosion increases with more often use of sugar and acidic drink. You can give sugar- free gum after meal to your older children. Chewing gum containing Xylitol is helpful to prevent tooth decay.


4. Should my child take a fluoride supplement?

Fluoride is an important mineral in the tooth that helps to prevent tooth decay . Brushing with tooth paste (topical source) with fluoride will make your child' s teeth stronger. Drinking fluoridated water ( systemic source) is very beneficial when the teeth are forming in the jaw. It is known that the fluoridated water source can reduce cavities about 40 to 60 %. Check with your town or city water department, if the water is fluoridated. If it is not, your dentist may suggest extra fluoride in the form of drops, tablets or mouthwashes. Excessive intake of fluoride during childhood can cause a white, chalky patches or pitting and brown permanent staining of the teeth called Fluorosis.


5. How do I know if my child is getting enough fluoride?

The most common sources of fluoride are fluoridated water supply, and toothpaste containing fluoride. Most of the toothpastes in America contains fluoride. Encourage your child to drink fluoridated water. Certain diet, processed juices also contain fluoride. Check with your physician or dentist if your child needs fluoride supplements.