Keeping your child’s teeth healthy is important from as soon as they become visible. From when your children should first visit the dentist to what to do if your child chips a tooth we have you covered with all you need to know.
It is recommended to use a low fluoride toothpaste until your child learns to spit out the toothpaste in later years. Ensure you choose the right toothbrush for your child’s age to appropriately fit their mouth.
Most references suggest using a pea sized amount of toothpaste from 18 months and use just water from when they first get teeth. Flossing should begin once a child has 2 joining teeth.
Community question: When did you start using toothpaste? Which one did you use?
- We’ve used Macleans and Colgate…I think they say from 6 (??) months – However, my maternal&child health nurse said from around 2years.. the reason you don’t start until later in because they don’t know how to spit it out at a younger age… Although my 3-yr old still needs reminding! Hopefully she’ll get the hang of it one day.. 😉
- We started at about 18 months & we’re still trying to get him to spit out, he tries but not too successful at this stage, we use macleans or colgate, whatevers on special x
- As soon as my kidz got their 1st tooth i gave them a toothbrush!!!!!! the toothpaste i use is macleanz 4 milk teeth with the wiggles on it…..:)
- My mil is a nurse and she said to use toothpaste from when they get their first teeth And don’t worry About spitting as they need fluoride(sp?) on their system due to not enough on the water… O have been doing this for almost 3 years and my daughters have great baby teeth and they are in tip top health… I used the colgate milk one and now have gone up to the ‘dora’ one…
- I started using a tiny bit of toothpaste when my girls had about 4 teeth. (before that i just brushed them with water) Kids toothpaste is LOW in fluoride anyway so i wouldnt stress too much on spitting! I have only recently started to get my 3.5yo to rinse with water as I was told by a family member who is a dentist that it doesn’t matter if she rinses or not & its probably better & helps protect their teeth a little better if they don’t rinse. At 12 months (depending on how many teeth they have I would start using a TINY amount of toothpaste! I use colgate milkteeth toothpaste.
- Def skip the toothpaste til 2!
- Ring your dentist.
- I was told by my dentist to start using baby tooth paste at 12 months, a pea size amount and dont rinse as the fluoride protects their teeth. Most important time to brush is before bed after their last drink and in the morning after breakfast. Drinking water after meals will wash their teeth too. And you only need a soft toothbrush
- There is a natural toothpaste out there by the company Weleda. It’s got calandula in it.
- I use gentle toothpastes from the local health food shop, starting at 16 months. I think the CHN says 12 months though. I would never use Colgate because of the horrible things they do to animals in laboratories, plus probably check with a dentist or CHN – some brands have pretty harsh chemicals even in baby toothpaste.
- A helpful website: Australian dental association https://www.ada.org.au/Your-Dental-Health/Children-0-11/Babies
- Find an organic one…. 🙂 there is a great one that we use with a picture of a crocodile on it from the health shop.
When did you introduce toothpaste? What one did you use?
Add your tips below.
