Toothpaste for Almost Two Year Old

Try to stay away from the flouride brands until she's older. My 4 yr. old still has trouble spitting everything out and they don't to be ingesting the flouride. It can cause permanent damage to the teeth if they get too much. Most likely that won't happen from just brushing (our dentist said) because you'll only be putting on a small amount...you don't need to coat the whole brush. For damage they'd have to pretty much sit down and eat a tube of it...but you never know. If you live in a city there is probably already flouride added to the water. You can check with the health dept. If you have well water (you can still do a check because it can be naturally occuring in the water table) or bottled water then your ped or dentist can prescribe a liquid or a chewable table of flouride because they do need the small amount. I think we switched to the chewables around 2 1/2 or 3 yrs. old

I agree with Cassandra. Our kids use Toms of Maine strawberry toothpaste without flouride. We buy it at Coborns, but you can buy it at most food coops. Our dentist said that kids do not need flouride in their toothpaste if they drink water that has flouride in it.

Get non-fluoride toothpaste. Also, look up pictures of fluorosis on google. My oldest daughter ate the toothpaste (good tasting kids toothpaste with fluoride) when she was little. I didn't know she was doing this and it caused permanent damage to her adult teeth. When your daughter is older, and you switch to fluoride toothpaste, never get the bubble gum or good tasting kind and keep it up high.

Toddler toothpaste sounds like a marketing gimmick. Check out "Tom's of Maine" toothpaste. They have several different varieties of toothpaste that do not contain fluoride, and aren't sickeningly sweet and full of artificial colors. It is the only brand of toothpaste I can stand--who needs 3-color, sugar-laden toothpaste??

I have seen Tom's of Maine for sell at mainstream stores like Target, but they often do not carry their fluoride-free line of toothpastes. A co-op, natural food store, or Whole Foods will be your best bet, or you can order it online.

http://www.tomsofmaine.com/toms/dept.asp?dept%5Fid=400

You shouldn't use toothpaste with flouride until they are older (I think 3 or 4). You need to make sure that they can spit it all out and not swallow any of it. I would wait until your doctor or dentist tells you to switch - I'm pretty sure they wait until they are a bit older.

Can your daughter spit? Does she spit when you brush her teeth. Until they can understand the concept of not swallowing the toothpaste, you should keep with the infant/toddler toothpaste. You don't want your child swallowing floride.

This is so wierd. I was just told yesterday by a dentist that kids over 1 year old need to be using floride toothpaste. But they only need this tiny barely there smear on the brush.. She said thats whats recommended by center of pediatrics or something.... huh... i would definately ask your dentist and go off their refferal because they would have the latest information and methods... I mean it is what they do for a living right? :)

H.,

Something else to consider.... my dentist told me that the infant/toddler toothpaste was a waste of money because they can swallow it, it pretty much teaches them that it is OK to swallow (and it tastes like candy). He recommended just using water until they are old enough to spit. My son is 3 1/2 and we just started using the kids toothpaste with fluoride in it.

Jessica
SAHM to Charlie (3 1/2) Joey (23 months) and Baby Girl due this weekend!