Well, not so much a debate, more a bit of an outrage really… You may have seen in the news recently that it has come to light that children’s toothpastes cost on average around TWICE that of adult toothpastes. They are essentially the same product, perhaps with slightly milder or even non-minty flavour for kids, but usually with the industry standard recommended amount of fluoride (shown in “ppm” or parts per million, on the packaging) of around 1450ppm.
For very young children, a lower amount of fluoride is OK, especially if they aren’t yet able to spit after brushing, but for the most part the toothpaste is the same strength as adult pastes. Financially penalising parents for trying to make the right choices for their children is hardly sending out the right message about the importance of good oral care at a young age. It is pretty much okay for children to use (a small amount of) adult toothpaste, but they might find them a little strongly flavoured.
As ever, if in doubt come and speak to us and we’d be more than happy to point you in the right direction as to which products make a good choice for your children or grandchildren, or for yourself too for that matter.
Mike
