# toothpaste
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toothpaste/78691
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [August 29, 2001, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toothpaste/78691 "2001-08-29T13:42:29Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@vanilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vanilla)
#### Post date: [August 29, 2001, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toothpaste/78691/1 "2001-08-29T13:42:29Z")
My son, 8, uses kids toothpaste.
When are allowed to give em the adult stuff?
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### Author:  [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)
#### Post date: [August 29, 2001, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toothpaste/78691/2 "2001-08-29T13:48:03Z")
If you’re Jewish, when he turns 13. Otherwise, after his first nocturnal emission.
😃
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### Author:  [@vanilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vanilla)
#### Post date: [August 29, 2001, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toothpaste/78691/3 "2001-08-29T14:12:13Z")
A real answer please.
The adults toothpaste.
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### Author:  [@jonfromdenver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jonfromdenver)
#### Post date: [August 29, 2001, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toothpaste/78691/4 "2001-08-29T14:22:45Z")
you can give it to him whenever you want. i vaguely remember the back of a tube of toothpaste saying to give children under 12 a “pea-sized amount.” i think that’s because the content of flouride is a little too much for kids to handle if ingested. so just don’t give him too much, and make sure he spits.
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### Author:  [@hockeynut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hockeynut)
#### Post date: [August 29, 2001, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toothpaste/78691/5 "2001-08-29T14:31:07Z")
Most adult toothpaste has all sorts of crap you aren’t supposed to swallow (e.g. saccharine). If your child has learned to rinse and spit and doesn’t swallow, I don’t see any reason why they can’t use adult toothpaste.
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### Author:  [@vanilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vanilla)
#### Post date: [August 29, 2001, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toothpaste/78691/6 "2001-08-29T14:32:34Z")
Should it be a non floride one?
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### Author:  [@jonfromdenver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jonfromdenver)
#### Post date: [August 29, 2001, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toothpaste/78691/7 "2001-08-29T14:33:58Z")
no, just make sure to rinse and spit. you could also ask your dentist for a professional opinion. 🙂
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### Author:  [@Photog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Photog)
#### Post date: [August 29, 2001, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toothpaste/78691/8 "2001-08-29T14:36:32Z")
Fluoride toothpaste is fine for kids. The primary concern is something know as fluorosis - a bright white staining of the teeth - caused by ingesting too much fluoride. Because of this, children’s toothpaste generally has less fluoride than adult paste. As was mentioned, once your child has learned to spit and rinse, the threat of fluorosis diminishes.
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### Author:  [@vanilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vanilla)
#### Post date: [August 29, 2001, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toothpaste/78691/9 "2001-08-29T14:38:48Z")
Oh I can make him spit alright.
All I have to do is wait til theres liquid in his mouth; then make a weird noise, and he will laugh and the liquid will be on the floor.
But thanks for the recommends.
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### Author:  [@hockeynut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hockeynut)
#### Post date: [August 29, 2001, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toothpaste/78691/10 "2001-08-29T14:50:36Z")
Most adult toothpaste has all sorts of crap you aren’t supposed to swallow (e.g. saccharine). If your child has learned to rinse and spit and doesn’t swallow, I don’t see any reason why they can’t use adult toothpaste.
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### Author:  [@bernse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bernse)
#### Post date: [August 29, 2001, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toothpaste/78691/11 "2001-08-29T15:15:18Z")
My parents had me on adult toothpaste ever since I started brushing. I never had any discoloration of either my baby or permanent teeth.
As mentioned, as long as Jr. doesn’t swallow it on a usual basis, they’ll be just fine.
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### Author:  [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)
#### Post date: [August 29, 2001, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toothpaste/78691/12 "2001-08-29T16:54:59Z")
Adult toothpaste caused me pain when I was a kid, especially under my tongue. That was one of the big reasons I hated to brush my teeth. My parents refused to buy kids’ toothpaste though, because it was more expensive. (“It doesn’t hurt, shut up and brush!”). All those cavities to fill cost a durn sight more than a few tubes of Aim, which didn’t cause the pain.
Just one thing to keep in mind if your kid has a sensitive mouth. If he complains of pain when he uses adult toothpaste, _believe him_.
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### Author:  [@CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrankyAsAnOldMan)
#### Post date: [August 29, 2001, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toothpaste/78691/13 "2001-08-29T17:18:20Z")
Just to concur that when they can spit it out and do so reliably, it’s okay to give it to them.
We are still using that baby-style toothpaste on Cranky Jr. Not kid’s toothpaste, with goofy stars in it and crap, but completely different formulation made for toddlers (and babies)
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### Author:  [@vanilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vanilla)
#### Post date: [August 30, 2001, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toothpaste/78691/14 "2001-08-30T14:09:43Z")
He said adult toothpaste is too minty.
I once had him use mine when he was out.
It was Pepsodent with baking soda.
Any mild adult ones?
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### Author:  [@jonfromdenver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jonfromdenver)
#### Post date: [August 30, 2001, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toothpaste/78691/15 "2001-08-30T18:41:42Z")
off the top of my head, enamelon or aquafresh are pretty mild. most kids like aquafresh anyway, cause it seems to have a kid flavor. enamelon takes some getting used to, but it is mild, and very effective.
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### Author:  [@Dragwyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dragwyr)
#### Post date: [August 30, 2001, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toothpaste/78691/16 "2001-08-30T19:05:49Z")
Some toothpaste brands have the minty taste too sharp for some kids. The brands that come to mind are Colgate (an old standby for me) and Crest. Both my 4 and 3 year old won’t touch those brands. We buy the “Blues Clues” toothpaste (by Oral-B I believe) and they love it.
[Cutsey]
It even puts the toothpaste on in the shape of a paw. Awww.
[\Cutsey]
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### Author:  [@epolo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/epolo)
#### Post date: [August 30, 2001, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toothpaste/78691/17 "2001-08-30T19:12:06Z")
You could also try the “Tom’s of Maine” brand.
They’re all natural, come in a variety of flavors (including my personal favorite: Fennel), with or without fluoride, no saccharine or other sweeteners, and it even comes with a list of ingredients for those of you who want to know just what it is that you’re putting in your kids’ mouths.
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### Author:  [@jonfromdenver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jonfromdenver)
#### Post date: [August 30, 2001, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toothpaste/78691/18 "2001-08-30T20:05:16Z")
beware of “Tom’s from Maine” toothpaste. while it is by far the healthiest choice because it is all-natural, i’ve never met a person who liked the taste of that stuff.
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### Author:  [@Stella\_Fantasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stella_Fantasia)
#### Post date: [August 30, 2001, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toothpaste/78691/19 "2001-08-30T20:19:07Z")
Don’t use the tartar control kind!! It hurts! I liked Colgate & Aqua Fresh as a kid…you know, back then, I don’t think there WERE special kids’ toothpastes. I just used the regular kind, & I turned out OK…never had a cavity, actually.
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### Author:  [@lather\_rinse\_repeat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lather_rinse_repeat)
#### Post date: [August 31, 2001, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toothpaste/78691/20 "2001-08-31T14:21:05Z")
If you’re looking for a mild toothpaste, try finding one that doesn’t contain Sodium Lauryl Sulfate.
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