Infant tooth and Gum Cleanser?

Do infant tooth and gum brushes along with the toothpaste need to be approved by the American Dental Association? I am afraid that there might be additives in the toothpaste that might do more harm than good. And does anyone know of a brand that might be approved by the ADA?

Infant tooth and Gum Cleanser?
Yes, ADA approves and accepts specific types of toothpastes. You can check the ADA seal on the toothpaste container. Examples of approved and accepted ones for kids OLDER THAN 2 YEARS OLD are:





1- Crest Kid's Sparkle Fun Flavor Toothpaste


2- Crest Kid's Cavity Protection Toothpaste


3- Colgate Kids Barbie Toothpaste





These are the ADA recommendations for use of toothpaste for kids:


1- Use only a pea-sized amount of toothpaste


2- Supervise kids while brushing and make sure they spit and not swallow. (kids younger than 6 years old usually don't have the ability to spit).


3- Unless advised to do so by a dentist or other health professional, parents should not use fluoride toothpaste for children less than two years of age.








the most important thing to know about a toothpaste is the Fluoride concentration. With Kids, it shouldn't be more than 900 - 950 ppm. 450 ppm should be fine.





If you need alternatives to using a toothpaste,


you can:


1- use a wet brush with no toothpaste to clean your kid's teeth if water in your area is fluoridated. What removes plaque is the mechanical action of the tooth brush and not the ingredient.


2- If water supply is not fluoridated, you can take your kid twice a year to the dentist to get topical fluoride.


3- If water supply is not fluoridated, you can ask your dentist to prescribe fluoride tablets for your kid.


4- you can make a toothpaste at home made of natural ingredients. If you are interested, send me a message and I'll teach you how.
Reply:I always used baking soda with a drop of mint oil in it, made a paste of it with water and applied it with my fingers, all natural and the kids never had cavities until of course they were old enough to ignore me when I told them to brush.
Reply:Is there really a need to use toothpaste on an infant? My daughter was born with two teeth and has been seeing the dentist since she was two months old. He never gave her toothpaste to use. We did get a toothbrush that fits over our finger and we would just gently rub her teeth with it. I pulled her first tooth the day she was born as it was so loose we worried about it falling out and her swallowing it. The second tooth lasted till she was in 1st grade, just like all the other kids. I would bypass the paste and just gently rub with an infant brush that fits on your finger. Never put a toothbrush on a handle in her mouth while she is still little.
Reply:From what I read on the ADA's website, there is no toothpaste that is ADA approved for infants. There is a list of ADA approved products on their website http://www.ada.org/ada/seal/adaseal_prod...





They recommend not using toothpaste for infants, but water instead. You can read what they say here http://www.ada.org/public/manage/stages/...