What’s the best toothpaste for your child?

Ever wonder which toothpaste is best for your child? From different brands, to different ingredients, to different needs each toothpaste says it targets — the choice can be overwhelming at best. Here are a few tips to choosing the best toothpaste for your child:

Fluoride! That’s right, our famous friend Fluoride. You have probably heard this before, and you will probably hear this again, but choosing a toothpaste with Fluoride is the best option for your child. In fact, Dr. Ward suggests skipping the training toothpaste for babies, and to just use water, until they are one years old, and then using just a smear of toothpaste until they can spit.

Another tip for choosing a toothpaste for your child, especially high risk cavity patients, is to look for sodium laurel sulfate free or SLS-free toothpaste. The reason to avoid this ingredient because it can lower the effectiveness of the fluoride, which like we said, is the main thing you want in a toothpaste. SLS can also increase canker sores, which is another reason to avoid it.

Finally, it is a good idea to avoid whitening toothpaste for children under 12.

With these helpful tips, you can look for a toothpaste that best suits your child, and if you are curious about some toothpastes Dr. Ward suggests, take a look at these: Sensodyne for Kids, Sensodyne Pronamel, and Rembrandt for Canker Sores.