As young parents, you should teach your child to brush their teeth by themselves when they are about two years old. There are special children's toothbrushes and toothpastes available on the market. So, how can parents choose the right toothpaste for their children?
1. Toothpaste is divided into three types: high-foam, medium-foam, and low-foam. The amount of foam depends on the amount of soap it contains. High-foam toothpaste contains more than 18% soap, which breaks down into caustic alkali or ester in saliva, not only stimulating the oral mucosa but also destroying the enzymes in saliva. Moreover, a higher soap content reduces friction, affecting the cleaning effect on teeth. Therefore, parents should avoid choosing high-foam toothpaste for children.
2. Children should not use fluoride toothpaste. According to research from the Department of Stomatology at Suzhou Dongwu Hospital, the use of fluoride toothpaste can have adverse effects on children's development and health. Experiments show that applying fluoride locally can help prevent cavities, but its effectiveness is only around 20%. Fluoride toothpaste contains 1000PPM of fluoride compounds. Using fluoride toothpaste daily will result in a total fluoride intake far exceeding the normal needs of children. An increase in fluoride intake increases the risk of fractures. Research indicates that local application of fluoride and ingestion of fluoride pose certain potential dangers to children's development and health. Therefore, children should not use fluoride toothpaste.