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Childrens-dental-care

How Early Should Your Child Use Fluoride Toothpaste?

Children’s dental care guidelines for toothpaste have changed during the past few years. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) used to recommend no use of fluoride toothpaste until the baby was two years old.

According to Healthline, now the AAP recommends that you brush with fluoride toothpaste as soon as your baby has teeth coming in. You should put a very tiny smear of toothpaste, no larger than a grain of rice, on the toothbrush. If you can angle the child’s head downward, it may help avoid swallowing the toothpaste. Swallowing this small of an amount probably wouldn’t hurt. However, if the child swallows very much, it could cause an upset stomach.

Why Children’s Dental Care Regarding Toothpaste Is Important

What you want to avoid for children of any age is swallowing the toothpaste. Children develop the ability to spit around the age of three. Because they can spit, the reasoning is that you can now increase the amount of fluoride toothpaste to the size of a pea. Also, with their increased size, if they do swallow some toothpaste, it probably isn’t enough to upset their stomachs.

What Should You Do if Your Child Swallows More than the Recommended Amount?

The National Capitol Poison Center says you should give the child milk or dairy products because the calcium will bind with the fluoride in their stomachs. This should treat the stomachache.

Always Supervise Your Child’s Brushing

An important children’s toothpaste dental care guideline to follow is always supervise your child’s brushing. If your child is swallowing fluoride toothpaste on a regular basis, this isn’t good. Excessive fluoride can harm tooth enamel. It can cause white stains to appear on the teeth.

Schedule Regular Checkups So Your Dentist Can Help

At Hutto Hippo Family Dental, our dentists can help you stay on top of your children’s dental care for using toothpaste and also address any other issues.