Toothpaste - New Haven,CT

My understanding is that once they spit (ie don't swallow the toothpaste), they can switch to adult toothpaste.

My son loves the flavored pastes from Crest: Cinnamon and Orange. Cinnamon is my favorite.

I don't think Mimi is correct about fluoride in the third world (or frankly in general). Fluoride rinses and pastes are very helpful in areas where there is no fluoride in the drinking water. There is fluoride in any typical municipal water supply, but if you are on a well be careful.

Moreover, in the third world people do clean their teeth, dental hygiene is a very basic thing in human societies around the world, even if the economies are not as developed as ours. Hunter-gatherers in the Kalahari desert clean their teeth, just not with motorized Dora toothbrushes and aquasparkle training gel. Tooth decay increases with the consumption of processed foods, which is another reason why the Kalahari bushmen have good dental health. While they don't have fluoride in their water, they also eat precious few Pepperidge farm goldfish.

If your child can spit it out, fluoride toothpaste is OK, in recommended amounts.

Flossing is also a very important habit and your dentist can show you how to help kids do it, because they will need your help for a long time before they can do it themselves.

PS: Julie H (above me) is right to point out that fluoride in the water should not be taken for granted -- just because you are on municipal water doesn't mean it's in there and you should check to be sure. But it has been a major national public health initiative to have municipal water fluoridated.

I work for a Pediatric Dentist and have done so for many years.
The recomendation is as follows: If your child is over 40 lbs and can spit than you can use a regular (adult) toothpaste containing fluoride.
Why 40lbs? Because there is no general age, just general "size" of child as we do not want any upset tummies as we realize occasionally a bit may be swallowed.
However - all rules are meant to be broken so if you have a small child who is an EXPERT spitter then you can make the determination on your own.

FANTASTIC response from 5'sthenew4 !!! Love the part about the Goldfish crackers... Did you know that this is one of the worst cavity causers? The carbs break down to sugar, they get packed in the teeth & stick there for a long time, we feed these to our kids CONSTANTLY or they graze on them all day... They should be SHARKS, not goldfish! :)

i switched mine at 4 when she understood not to swallow the toothpaste. Your son sounds like he is ready

He can use regular toothpaste when he can spit.
so sounds like he's ready now

Just a comment about 5'sthenew4 mention that most municipal water supplies have fluoride. I grew up in TX where fluoride in the water was a given, but moved to NJ only to discover the water is NOT fluoridated. People here give their kids prescription vitamins (to control the level of fluoride in them). I asked the ped dentist about fluorosis (because my husband had found all the horror stories about it online) but they had never seen a case of it in the years they've been practicing. My 4-year-old had two cavities last year he had to get filled - 8-yr-old daughter has had none, but the boy's teeth grow very close together - so we switched him to regular toothpaste and started doing a fluoride rinse at night. Just can't bring myself to do the vitamins though, so we'll have to see if the toothpaste and rinse are sufficient.

Hi D.,

Fluoride has only been proven to help fight cavities in third world countries where they don't brush there teeth. Fluoride can actually be dangerous not only to the stomach if ingested but can cause a condition known as fluorosis that will turn your teeth yellow. (Read the Fluoride Deception. You can find a number of books online that go along with this philosophy) There are other types of toothpastes out there that I would feel more comfortable with than the fluoridated ones for a 4 year old.

I have two girls, 14 and 17 and neither has ever had a cavity OR fluoride.

Hope I helped!

M.

If he is drinking fluoridated water, "regular" toothpaste is not necessary at all. In fact for years I've brushed just with water on my toothbrush and rinsed really well with the fluoridated city water and my teeth are fine. Fluoride really does help a ton with keeping teeth healthy...but it is also really bad for you, so it's really up to you to decide what works for your family. But definitely stay away from whitening toothpastes.
Anyway, as mentioned, as long as he is spitting well you can switch him.