Toddler Toothbrushing

I am looking for answers to this as well. I have a 5 year old who still uses toddler toothpaste because he doesn't know how to spit out the other kind yet.

My son will be 3 next month. He's been using adult toothpaste for over a year now. We use just a little (1/2 pea size) to minimize foaming and he spits out virtually all of it. We had to switch to adult toothpaste after he ate 2 tubes of toddler toothpaste. As long as she's not swallowing the adult toothpaste, I don't think it matters what age she is.

HTH
Jenn

I just took our 3 year old to the dentist this week. I asked him the same question. He told me that when we are confident that she is able to spit the majority of the tooth gel out and not swallow it, then we can try "real" toothpaste. Even then, he said, we don't need a lot of toothpaste on the brush. Just a little bit.

Our girl is learning to spit her tooth gel out, but still swallows a lot also, so I'm going to wait awhile.

As a test, I may have our daughter put water in her mouth and tell her not to swallow it but to spit it all out. When she can do that, then I would guess she can handle the toothpaste. It's a safe test to try.

Best of luck!
K.

There is toddler toothpaste. It is safe to swollow and it has a tiny amount of floride in it to help keep the teeth clean. my daughter who is 4 and my son who is 2 use it. My son has been using it for the last two months and he loves it more than the infant tooth paste. You should also be seeing a dentist at some point soon. They will also give you direction on what to do and what is best for your daughter.

I wouldn't start using regular toothpaste for her until she stops swallowing the toothpaste. Regular toothpaste is toxic if very much is ingested. I use regular toothpaste for my 2 1/2 year old, but I only rub his toothbrush on the toothpaste. So he really doesn't even get enough toothpaste on his brush to make it foam, just enough to taste it a little bit. He still swallows his toothpaste, too.
Hope this helps.

A.

A child can use adult toothpaste really at any age as long as they understand they should never swallow it. Using the recommended "pea" size amount will keep her safe. I would actually use a little less than that so it doesn't foam too much. She sounds like she has great parents who want to show her good hygiene so start now. Has she been to the dentist? My daughter LOVES the dentist and to be honest we just went today. She's been going since she was 2 with only 2 cavities that are thankfully in her baby teeth. One is currently loose. I like how your daughter asked questions about brushing. She is totally ready. Stay healthy!

I believe that as soon as they understand how to spit you can switch them to kids or adult toothpaste.

As long as she understands about spitting it out instead of swallowing it, I would go ahead and use the regular toothpaste. If they swallow a tiny amount here and there, it is not going to hurt them. The danger is in larger amounts than what is used to brush with. A pea size amount should be good. I wouldn't use any of the "whitening" variety for her. Mine are 5 & 8 and I still don't get that kind for them; I just don't quite trust it and their teeth are white already! Ask your dentist if she hasn't seen one yet - she probably should go soon.

My son is 3 and our dentist had me switch to regular toothpaste a year ago. He said just a pea size amount, and if they can spit, that's great, but it will not hurt them to swallow a tiny amount. The training toothpast is great for learning and removing food particles, but they really need the flouride for strengthening the enamal and fighting cavities. If she has not seen a dentist yet, you should get her in for a check up and cleaning. Most family dentist recommend waiting until they are 3 or 4, but pediatricians and ped. dentists want them to be seen by 18 months. Good luck!

Hi B.,
My daughter is 3 1/2 years old and she uses the kids toothpaste. It is more like adults, but it for ages 2 and up. It comes in fun flavors too. My daughter loves to brush her teeth!!!!

NOW! She's spitting. She should've been doing that last year. As long as she is spitting, she can use regular toothpaste. My son likes the kid's paste 'cause it is fruity rather than "spicy" mint of regular toothpaste. Either way, she's ready for the flouride-based toothpaste. Have you taken her to the dentist? Now would be a good time too. Good Luck! :)

Hi B.,

My daughter is almost 4 and we just switched her over to regular kids toothpaste about 2 months ago. I just waited until she was finally not swallowing/eating the other toothpaste. Once she was "spitting" regularly we felt comfortable enough to switch her over. We just made it something fun and exciting to help her get to that point - this is something that big girls do! The main thing is you don't want her to swallow the flouride toothpaste.
Hope this helps.

I would switch her over to the children's toothpaste now, she is old enough and will get some foam to spit out. Furthermore, the children's toothpaste is made with the idea children are going to swallow a good percentage of it.

I asked my family member, who happens to be a dentist, and he recommends closer to age 4 or 5 as long as you cook with water that has flouride (basically, not bottled water). He said that Fort Wayne has alot of natural flouride in its water, so we haven't started our daughter on adult toothpaste yet. His other suggestion was to try a pea size amount of adult toothpaste and if she isn't spitting out a strong majority of it, then go back to the child's toothpaste. Hope this helps!

My current dentist advises me to use flouride toothpaste with my son who isn't quite 2. My pediatrician advises the same. They say that they need it and that a pea-sized amount if swallowed won't hurt them. I can atest to its effectiveness. My 5 year old has wonderful teeth and has never had any problems with over-exposure to flouride.

Hi BethAnn,

You are asking some really great questions about your daughter's oral hygiene. It's great that she brushes regularly and mimics you and your husband. The rule of thumb is that when kids are old enough to know how to spit out the toothpaste, they can use adult toothpaste. The reason for this is that "baby" toothpaste does not contain fluoride and most regular toothpastes do. Ingesting too much fluoride could be bad for your daughter, but if she is spitting when brushing, she is ready for the regular paste. Fluoride is an important ingredient in toothpaste and helps us keep our teeth healthy and strong. Crest has some wonderful facts about oral hygiene on their website http://www.crest.com/dental_hygiene/parentsGuide.jsp
As you may have guessed, I work for P&G (Crest) and actually work on new toothpaste formulations :-) Good luck with your daughter's toothbrushing.

She could start using regular toothpaste now. Just use a pea size amount on her brush. Just watch her like you do now to keep the swallowing minimal. She is at the age now where she can use regular toothpaste. All 3 of my kids were using regular toothpaste at the age of 3.
D.

I am 31 and have been married for almost 12 yrs. My husband and I have 3 boys ages 10,7 and 4.

My name is H. and I am a Dental Hygienist. The main difference between toddler's toothpaste and adult toothpaste is the fluoride content. The toddler toothpaste does not contain any at all. I usually advise my patients to use the toddler paste for their children until they are sure their child is not swallowing the toothpaste. Too much fluoride can be very dangerous. Hopefully this helps.

My 2 & 3mth old has been brushing with kids aquafresh for the past 3 mths. It is safe for them to swallow (in moderation obviously) but it makes him feel more like a grown up with the foaming. They make it in Bubble gum flavor so it is an easy change too. S. - mother of 3 (and one on the way!)