1.What toothpaste should my children be using?

Children up to 3 years should use a smear of fluoridated toothpaste containing no less than 1000 ppm (parts per million)

Children 3-6 years should use a pea-sized amount of fluoridated toothpaste containing more than 1000ppm fluoride.

Children 0-6 years who have had previous fillings or tooth extractions should use a fluoridated toothpaste containing 1350-1500ppm fluoride.

Children 6+ years should use a pea-sized amount of fluoridated toothpaste containing 1350-1500ppm fluoride.

You can check the amount of fluoride in the ingredients on the back of the toothpaste.

2. When can they brush on their own?

Children should be supervised with their brushing until they are 8-9 years old or when they are able to do joined-up handwriting and able to tie their own shoelaces. Children and parents want independence but the key issue is that children haven’t developed the motor skills to enable them to have good dexterity that toothbrushing needs until age 8-9 years.

3. When do they children start to lose their baby teeth?

This can be dependent on when the baby teeth erupted initially but usually the first tooth is lost around 6 years old.