re:Advice On the Right Toothbrush for a Toddler

I used battery operated brushes on my 2 older ones for a while, but then my daughter's fell in the toilet and when it came time to replace the batteries on my son's I kept "forgetting". I wanted them both to learn proper technique before getting another battery operated one. The batteries do seem to go rather quickly on those things. As far as the toothpaste, if she's spitting, she could probably switch to a kids' fluoride toothpaste. I think it's Colgate that makes Dora toothpaste, and in case you switch to a manual brush there are a lot of Dora ones out there (my toddler loves Diego, so I'm right there with you).

Hi S.!
I do not use the battery powered ones, buta regular manual one! We play a game while we brush her teeth! I tell her that I'm going to "Tickle" her teeth, and to open up...and she does. We only do little sections per session, but within 2 min. her whole mouth is clean, and then I give her a little more paste, and let her do it by herself! And you can get characters on them too! Right now we have SpongeBob and Donkey!
As for the swithching of the toothpaste, I'm not sure when to do that! I'm stuck there myself!
Good Luck!
~C.

I've never used a battery operated toothbrush with my kids so I don't have any recommendations there. If you don't want to switch to a manual, maybe just keep an eye out for sales and coupons in the Sunday paper to reduce the cost. As far as switching to a regular toothpaste I would wait until she is consistently spitting good and not swallowing when brushing.

Hi! I'm a dental assistant & used to work full time @ Kearns & Ashby a pediatric dentist before I became a stay @ home mom. Toothbushes are mostly your personal preference one option for an electric toothbrush that will last for a long time since it is rechargable is a Sonicare or Oral B. They are pricey but if the entire family uses it (it has interchangeable heads of course) it is worth it. I have an Oral B & it has two speeds, your little one may prefer the slower of the two. For the toothpaste sorry but pp hygenist is incorrect in saying that a child would need to ingest an entire tube of toothpaste before there would be cause for concern. Your child may not develop white spots on her teeth from using too much flouride toothpaste but she would be sick in the stomach & most likely vomit from too much flouride. It is recommended to use the amount of flouride toothpaste that is the size & thickness of your child's pinky fingernail. If you only use that small amount of toothpaste it is actually fine to swallow that small amount. Some dentist actually recommend to brush with the flouride toothpaste before bed & not have them spit or rinse, the flouride will work while your child is asleep. I personally only use flouride toothpaste one time per day & nonflouridated the other times we brush. I hope this helps!

Hey S., I was curious about when to switch my kids to fluoride toothpaste myself so I looked it up. Here's what the CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) says:

The CDC recommends the following Simple Steps for Kids’ Smiles:

1. Start cleaning teeth early. As soon as the first tooth appears, begin cleaning by wiping with a clean, damp cloth every day. When more teeth come in, switch to a small, soft toothbrush. Begin using fluoride toothpaste when the child is 2 years old. Use toothpaste with fluoride earlier if your child’s doctor or dentist recommends it.

2. Use the right amount of fluoride toothpaste. Fluoride is important in fighting cavities. But if children younger than 6 years swallow too much fluoride, their teeth may develop white spots. To prevent this, use only a small amount of toothpaste (about the size of a small grain of corn). Teach your child to spit out the toothpaste and to rinse well after brushing.

3. Supervise brushing. Brush your child’s teeth twice a day until your child is able to use a toothbrush without help. Then, continue to closely watch brushing to make sure your child is doing a thorough job and using only a small amount of toothpaste.

4. Talk to your child’s doctor or dentist. Check with the doctor or dentist about your child’s specific fluoride needs. After age 2, most children get the necessary amount of fluoride to help prevent cavities if they drink water that contains fluoride and brush their teeth twice a day with a small amount of fluoride toothpaste about the size of a small grain of corn. Parents of children over the age of 6 months should ask about the need for a fluoride supplement if their drinking water does not have enough fluoride. Also, do not let a child younger than 6-years-old use a mouth rinse with fluoride unless the child’s doctor or dentist recommends it.

I have found that even though the electric toothbrushes may seem to be a pain they are gentler on gums and they actaully keep teeth cleaner. Anytime I'd been using regualar toothbrushes on my children hte nurse would say they're teeth werent quite clean enough. I've never had any commments when I've used the elctric. Oral B do a battery operated one that only has one battery in and you can buy two pack of replacable heads for like $5 bucks. All of us except the baby have electric toothbrushes. My mother in law got the rechargable Oral B one and loves it. Its about $12 to buy. So in the long run they are healthier for your teeth!
Mother of 4 boys

My advice follows that of Ashley E. The investment in the electric toothbrush where everyone in the family has their own interchangeable head is well worth it! No more dead batteries and I've had several dentists make the same suggestion to me not just for my kids, but for my whole family. It is gives the perfect motion for cleaning which a 2yo can't do themselves and it also prevents us (adults) from brushing too hard or incorrectly which often leads to receeding gums.

As for toothpaste, I would stick to non-fluoride until you're confident there is no more swallowing going on. As long as there is fluoride in your tap water, Violet is getting it. Our city doesn't. However, if you don't have fluoride in your water, make sure you request a prescription for a children's vitamin with fluoride from your pediatrician. That's not something you can buy over the counter and it's important for their tooth health that they have it. It's an inexpensive Rx. Dannon also makes little water bottles for kids with fluoride in them.

Hi -

I buy my little toddler the $2 hand held ones at Giant Eagle or Target. The soft head that says 2+ years on it. They have Dora ones and other characters. I let her brush first then we brush thoroughly. Haven't tried the battery operated ones but we're happy with these so far.

Good luck.

Hey S., Nice to see another mom at my age. I have a 7 month old daughter who is also the light of my life. I am 39 years old for another 9 months or so. I have been using the Orajel baby toothbrush to clean my daughters two new teeth and gums, to try to get her used to this. I would recommend that you use the good old fashioned tooth brushes that are sold in stores everywhere. I think once she gets older she can try those new electronic ones. We have been using them all of these years and now these new ones hit the market and everyone wants one. I say if it aint broke, dont fix it! she will get used to this eventually. Keep up the good work momma! PS check with your pediatrician on when to change pastes!!! They will know!!

KIT D.

We have always bought the oral b or colgate toothbrushes, but not battery operated. They always have the characters my girls (4 and 2) love on them and nice, chunky handles that are good for small hands. The bristles are small and soft. As for toothpaste, we had been using the one with Dora (colgate, I think) on it, but they were out last time I was shopping. I got kid's crest instead and was shocked how much they really liked it. Both of my daughters love the minty taste and blue sparkles. My older daughter is thrilled to use big girl toothpaste. The younger prefers to brush her own and I do not worry about her swallowing too much as she spits. Just keep in mind to only put a pea sized amount of toothpaste on the brush. Hope this helps.

Hi S.! This is stricly personal opinion, but toss the electric tooth brush and go for the plain old fashioned kind, you can get them in tons of different styles and you should use the smallest, soft brissle ones. At your daughter's age she's ready for her first dentist visit (usually a really fun meet and greet, with a quick teeth brushing lesson, a quick look from the dentist & a tooth brush) I recommend Dentristry For Kids, they have 4 offices in the Pittsburgh area and I have been taking my three girls there since the youngest was three and we moved to the Pittsburgh area. My girls love all the dentists, the office staff is excellent, and we have no cavaties so all is great! Good luck and best wishes!

I tried the battery ones too and my son seems to prefer a manual--they certainly are a lot simpler! He like the "firefly" ones that light up for the appropriate 2 minutes.
My son (5) still uses Kids Colgate. But don't get too wigged out about the swallowing flouride issue. My hygienist tells me they'd have to eat a whole tube to pose any danger.