Flouride toothpaste

[Krystal5]

How do you get your toddler ready for flouride toothpaste? How do you know when he / she is ready?

I don't think Maiya is ready yet, but our friends bought her a gift- of a toothbrush and "toddler" toothpaste. It's for 2+, so I understand why they got it for her... And honestly, I think it's one of the most awesome gifts EVER! I just don't feel she's ready. The problem is, she LOVES this toothpaste. It was a gift from her friends! So she BEGS to brush her teeth with it all the time...

She KNOWS she's not supposed to swallow, and she knows she is supposed to spit, and she tries... She really truly tries. She goes through the motions. I just get the feeling she is swallowing a lot more than she should. I mean, I barely put any on in the first place, but I still worry.

But how do I tell? She does spit SOME out, it just seems like not as much as there should be.

Am I being paranoid? Should I not allow her to use it until I'm more confident? That would bring tears!! And if I tell her she can't use it until she's better at not swallowing and at spitting, how do help her to practice?

Thanks!

[Suja]

Mira has been using fluoride toothpaste for a few months now. I just put on a touch, since spitting is hit or miss. The way I look at it, we grew up eating fluoridated toothpaste, and don't seem to have suffered any (heck, I don't think they have any other kind in India), so it should be okay for them to ingest a little bit for a short ampunt of time.

[3andMe]

I do just a little tiny smear, and he actually is pretty good at spitting, and alternate it with the baby toothpaste which he also likes. I let him brush his own teeth in the morning and I brush them for him at night, so I do the fluoride one when I have more control.

[ibisgirldc]

So it's toddler toothpaste with fluoride? Isn't that absent (or significantly reduced) in toddler toothpastes. Which brand?

[Chayah]

We don't do fluoride. Ever. Any of us. Lol

[hopeful1]

My 3 year old still is no good at spitting the toothpaste out, although he's great at rinsing. I only use a tiny bit too, so the amount swallowed really isn't much. I'm a dental hygienist so I really do worry about such things.

[beanpop]

So it's toddler toothpaste with fluoride? Isn't that absent (or significantly reduced) in toddler toothpastes. Which brand?

These were my thoughts as well. And personally I wouldn't worry about it

[Krystal5]

So it's toddler toothpaste with fluoride? Isn't that absent (or significantly reduced) in toddler toothpastes. Which brand?

Well, it's "kids'" tecnically, I think. It says 2 and up. It's this one.

We don't do fluoride. Ever. Any of us. Lol

Yes, that was one of my thoughts!

My 3 year old still is no good at spitting the toothpaste out, although he's great at rinsing. I only use a tiny bit too, so the amount swallowed really isn't much. I'm a dental hygienist so I really do worry about such things.

Hmm... So as a dental hygienist... What do you think? Should I just limit it? Or stop completely until she's ready? And any ideas how to help her get better at spitting?


Thanks everyone for your input!!

[sparks3]

Our dentist suggested only a pea-size amount of toothpaste. He said with that amount, consumption will be minimal.

I think it's great that Maiya loves brushing her teeth so much!

[sookie4415]

i don't do flouride toothpaste until I can see them spitting it out into the sink...that's just me. I know both my big girls were right around 3

[OhBaby]

DD (2.5) loves brushing her teeth, but ends up swallowing it before doing the 'spit' process. I let her brush with no-flouride in the morning, and then brush her teeth with flouride at night.