A guide to children’s toothpastes
What toothpaste is best for kids? What age should kids start using toothpaste?
I’ll be answering these questions and more in this comprehensive guide to toothpastes for children of all ages.
When should you start using toothpaste for your kids?
Generally, the recommendation for infants and toddlers is not to start using toothpaste until they can safely spit out the toothpaste from their mouths. This is generally to avoid ingestion of the toothpaste. Generally toothpastes are not dangerous if you swallow some, but over time, if your child is using a fluoride toothpaste, ingesting too much can be detrimental. It can cause a condition called fluorosis, which affects the surface texture and appearance of developing adult teeth. Please also be careful to keep toothpastes out of reach of young children, as if they eat toothpaste they can be at risk of poisoning.
Children under 2 don’t usually need to use toothpaste. It is adequate for them to have their teeth brushed with just water. If you want to use toothpaste for children under 2, then you can use a non-fluoridated toothpaste. We like Jack N’ JiIl Natural Toothpaste, which comes in a variety of flavours. The toothpaste contains xylitol, organic calendula and natural flavours. There is a flavour free option if this is preferred.
Our son Jethro loves using his Jack n’ Jill natural toothpaste.
Our toothpaste recommendations according to age are:
2 -6 years:
Once your child can safely spit out toothpaste, it is safe (and beneficial) to start them on a low fluoride children’s toothpaste that is age appropriate. Whilst most children’s toothpastes are suitable from age 2+, there will be some variation in age for when a child can spit out. If your child is 2 years or older but can’t safely spit, it would be better to stick with a non-fluoridated toothpaste.
There isn’t much difference in terms of the different brands of toothpastes available for this age range. One of the obvious selling points is the use of cartoon characters for each brand. If this works to entice your child to brush their teeth, then totally go for it! Oral-B have several Disney-related characters and Macleans is endorsed by The Wiggles.
The addition of fluoride to toothpaste provides a two-fold benefit to your child’s teeth. First of all, there is a topical benefit, which sees the fluoride essentially ‘harden’ the enamel of existing teeth, making them more resistant to tooth decay. The second benefit is systemic, which basically means that the enamel of children’s developing teeth can also be strengthened. This benefit is critically important in children, as unlike adults, they are still developing new adult teeth.
Make sure to use just a small pea-sized amount of toothpaste, and get your child to spit out as much toothpaste as they can once they are finished brushing.
Once your child can safely spit, our recommendations for fluoride toothpaste are: (in no particular order)
1. Oral-B Stages 2-6 years
These toothpastes contain 500ppm sodium fluoride, and feature a range of Disney cartoon characters from Frozen, Cars, Disney Princesses, Winnie the Pooh and Mickey Mouse. All bases are definitely covered here! You might feel a bit ‘sucked in’ to the marketing and appeal of cartoon characters, but if that’s what it takes to get your kid to love brushing, I’d say it’s worth it!
2. Macleans Milk Teeth 0-3 years, Macleans Little Teeth 4-6 years
Macleans products are a little more confusing because they don’t follow the 2-6 years and 6+ years guidelines like Oral-B and Colgate products do. Instead of two ranges, they have three ranges for kids. The age ranges are 0-3 years for the ‘Milk Teeth’ range, 4-6 years for the ‘Little Teeth’ range, and 6+ years for the ‘My Big Teeth’ range.
It’s important to note that the fluoride concentration in both ranges is different. The ‘Milk Teeth’ range has 500ppm, whilst the older range ‘Little Teeth’, has double the fluoride concentration, at 1000ppm. Honestly, I don’t see what harm there would be to keep your child on the ‘Milk Teeth’ range until 6 years of age. The only situation where I wouldn’t do this was if your child had a high decay rate and needed fillings to be done. In this case, the fluoride would definitely be beneficial.
This range might be great for you if your child loves The Wiggles, since they endorse this brand.
3. Colgate My First Toothpaste 2-6 years
This toothpaste also has 500ppm sodium fluoride and is suitable for those up to the age of 6 years.
6+ years:
1. Macleans Big Teeth Toothpaste 7+ years
This toothpaste contains 1450ppm fluoride, and the age recommendation is actually for 7 years+. This fluoride concentration is the highest in this age range.
2. Colgate Sparkling Mint Gel Toothpaste
There are options for Minions and Peppa Pig character packaging, as well as the sparkly mint look, if that appeals to your child. Contains 1000ppm fluoride.
At 12 years plus, your child can now use normal adult toothpaste.
I hope you found this guide helpful. Remember that regular dental visits are also crucial to maintaining a healthy mouth, so call us on 6143 5655 to book an appointment for your child, or simply book online here.
