When to Start Brushing Teeth with Toothpaste

Updated on April 01, 2010
J.R. asks from Washington, DC
19 answers

.I have a 17 month old. He brushes his teeth with a brush, but no tootpaste. He drinks mostly mineral water so does not get much flouride from the system. Should I start him with a children's toothpaste yet???? IIf yes, which do you recommend???? If not, what are good habits to help protect his teeth?

Thank you as usual for your good advice.

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J.M.

answers from Gainesville on

Dont start him with floride toothpaste until he is 2 yrs old. They do have toothpaste that does not have floride in it, and you can start him on there, get him use to the process of it all the the feeling and taste of stuff like that. Last I saw, the floride-less toothpaste has little bear on the front container.

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J.A.

answers from Jacksonville on

Colgate makes a good childrens toothpaste that is swallowable so it's safe until they learn how to brush and spit properly.

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L.V.

answers from Miami on

You are off to a great start since he is already brushing. Use Oral B for babies. It is flavored and has no fluoride. You do not want your child to use fluoride toothpaste yet as children have a tendency to swallow the toothpaste instead of spit it out. Fluoride is dangerous in high doses.

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D.P.

answers from Pittsburgh on

You can definitely start using the training paste. No fluoride. My son (now 7) brushes after breakfast and before he goes to bed. Don't feel too freaky if he swallows a little of even the fluoride paste--our hygienist says they'd have to eat a whole tube before the amount is harmful. But the training paste would be good for now. Oral B has a training toothpaste. Let him brush and then you can "finish" the job!

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B.M.

answers from Boston on

Go for the toothpaste. Orajel makes a kid safe one that is safe to swallow. My son loves it and doesn't mind brushing his teeth anymore. I know he's eating some of it so i squish it into the brush alot.

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C.B.

answers from Kansas City on

just don't get aquafresh for kids. i got it and i don't feel like it got his teeth clean. he would have the worst breath. i switched to crest and he's fine.

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M.H.

answers from Fort Walton Beach on

Hi J.,

There are no-fluoride baby toothpastes out there and that would be wise. Not only does he need to clean them but really needs to understand the habit.

I don't thing there is ever a time to start a child on a fluoride toothpaste. My 14 and 17 year old have never used it and have never had a cavity. I DID use it and have a mouth full of fillings. Too much fluoride (which can either come from brushing too much or drinking fluoride will eat away the stomach) can cause teeth to rot. Fluoride does eat away bacteria but will continue to eat away at the teeth if they are clean. The government tests done "proving" fluoride was good were done in third world nations where they didn't brush their teeth at all. Chlorine bleach would have done the same thing.

Read "The Fluoride Deception" and see the beginnings of use of the most volatile chemical on the periodic table. http://www.fluoride-history.de/kennerly.htm is also a good article to read as well.

God bless,

M.

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C.O.

answers from Miami on

Hi J.,
You can start him on children's fluoride free toothpaste but NOT fluoride toothpaste. Fluoride is toxic is swallowed and can can be lethal.
I as an adult do not use fluoride toothpaste, is it harmful and unnecessary.
You can even schedule his first dentist appointment soon to have his teeth checked but they don't get an actual cleaning until 2 years old.

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T.B.

answers from Chicago on

I agree that you need to be brushing his teeth. You can let him play around for a bit and "practice", but the real brushing needs to be done by you. That is the biggest thing you can do right now. My sister is a dentist. She says you can use a fluoride toothpaste when they are able to spit and not swallow (my 2.5 year old is finally starting to do this). But I'm still not going to start with a fluoride toothpaste for a while longer.
It's a good idea to start brushing early, because those that put it off have a harder time later. Set yourself up for success and do it now the way you will be doing it for years. We've always tried to make it fun, and never had any trouble. We sing the ABC's two times (once for tops, once for bottoms), and my son loves that. It also helped him learn his ABC's really early! ;)
Good idea on giving him water. We give our son very diluted apple juice once a day. When that is gone, he only gets water or milk.

Good luck!
T.
Barefoot Books Ambassador
www.ReadandGrow.com

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K.N.

answers from Boston on

oral b has a fluoride free toothpaste that you can buy. the box has a bear or thomas the train on the front. I wouldn't use regular toothpaste as it has fluoride in it and at 17months he would most likely swallow it. The fluoride free toothpaste is safe to swallow. my son's dentist recommded it.

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J.S.

answers from Miami on

Fluoride is actually quite dangerous - it increases lead uptake and weakens bones as well as interfering with endocrine functioning. Studies have shown fluoride lowers IQ, which may be related in part to its fostering lead absorption. Using Tooth Soap products (you can message me for details about those products) is much better than toothpastes. They are made with natural organic oils and they clean your teeth without leaving a glycerin film, which allows teeth to mineralize better. There's a variety of flavors and an option of liquid or soap strips to brush with. Regular toothpastes carry a poison warning because if you swallow a lot you get a fluoride overdose. visit www.fluoridealert.org for information about fluoride and why it's best to avoid exposure to it.

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A.C.

answers from Houston on

If you haven't taken him to the dentist, then it is definitely time. (I didn't actualy take my daughter until she was nearly three, but I had already been flossing and fluoride wasn't a concern).

Start with a fluoride free toothpaste (there are tons of them out there) in order to teach him to spit and not swallow. Spitting is fun for them and teaching them to do it only at toothbrushing time is a good lesson.

YOU need to be brushing his teeth, he can start, but you need to finish.

If any of his teeth are touching, you should also be flossing.

The thing about fluoride is that you don't need a whole lot of it to have an effect. The friction of the brush is as helpful as anything and making sure his mouth is really clean before bed.

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J.C.

answers from Fort Wayne on

I had my kids using toddler's toothpaste from the time they were about 9 months old, as soon as they started getting multiple teeth. Then, when they were old enough to know how to spit and not swallow the toothpaste, I moved them up to childrens'. For the toddlers toothpaste, I used the kind that has the brown bear on the bottle

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D.W.

answers from Gainesville on

I took my daughter to the pediatric dentist for her first check up when she was around 18 months and she said that it was fine to start using just a tiny, tiny smear of kiddie toothpaste.

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S.D.

answers from Topeka on

can he spit when asked there are several toddler toothpastes and some that contain no flouride and are safe to swallow but you still want to practice on spitting I have used just about all the toddler and childrens toothpastes has your lil guy seen the dentisit yet?It's recommened that they be seen by their 1st b-day a pediatric dentist that is.

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R.H.

answers from Tampa on

You should definitely start him on toothpaste. My daughter (now 2) was drinking only bottled water (without fluoride) so I started brushing her teeth w/ only a dab (perhaps 1/10 of size of pea) of children's fluorinated toothpaste. I try to encourage her to spit out and rinse w/ water after she's done, but if she swallows that little our pediatric denstist says it's perfectly fine. They have bunch of different kinds. I buy the Dora/Sponge bob toothpaste from Publix. Kids need fluoride, since it makes their teeth enamel harder and fights cavities. So, it's important to make sure he gets it somehow.

Good luck :-)
R.

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B.C.

answers from Norfolk on

As soon as there are teeth you can use a tooth paste. There are baby tooth pastes that will be fine until they get the hang of spitting. Brush the teeth for him. He can try it himself, but he won't be efficient at it for quite awhile. They'll have the hand coordination for good tooth brushing about when they can write their name. Best habit in the world is to make sure the teeth are clean before going to bed. Some parents insist on brushing after every meal. Twice a day works better for my son. There is such a thing as over brushing. See a dentist. My son was checked out by my dentist at about 2 yrs old, but we really started with regular visits every 6 months once his baby teeth began falling out (about 6 yrs old).

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S.G.

answers from Savannah on

any non fluoride children's toothpaste will be fine. They call it trainer toothpaste. I know there is a brand that has Little Bear on it, maybe made by oral b.

He should be getting his fluoride from his drinking water and food at this age. Toothpaste can taste yummy to little kids and ingesting a tube of paste will make them very sick.

S.

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S.S.

answers from Miami on

Buy Tom's Toothpaste. It has no fluoride. Why would you knowingly let your child swallow a carcinogen>

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