Too much toothpaste? Sudden neurosis about DS teeth

[hollingbury]

My 5.5 year old DS had illness early on and as a result, the formation of his baby teeth were a bit disrupted. The back teeth have enamel problems. We're very diligent about limiting sugar - he doesn't have juice and we monitor sugary snacks - and we brush for two minutes twice a day, at least.

But he still doesn't spit properly and I suddenly realised that maybe I'm using a little bit too much toothpaste? Not a lot but still. ANd not making him spit more thoroughly.

Anyway, I just had a massive fucking freak that his teeth coming through will be cursed by fluorosis and he will blame me!

Am I being overly neurotic?

Yes but only because you care

Ok, so don't freak out, as even if he does it's likely to be mild unless you are also giving fluoride tablets (don't) or in an area with fluoride in the water. But yes, if I were you I'd reduce the amount of toothpaste (or the strength of it, or both) until he can spit adequately.

My toddlers both have mild fluorosis (white spots on their teeth). I really minimised toothpaste as I was worried about this happening, so I was pretty upset. My dentist told me to use the tiniest smear on the toothbrush in the evening and none in the morning (just brush with water) until they can both spit properly. He said hopefully this would reduce the chance of their adult teeth being affected.

I am somewhat aghast at the contrast between this advice, and that which I was given at the 2yr check with the health visitor where I was told (1) the 2y/o can now use any adult toothpaste and (2) to no longer rinse after brushing to leave the toothpaste on the teeth. You can't do right for doing wrong, it seems....

Our water isn't fluoridated and we use adult toothpaste on our children and have since they grew teeth under the advice of our dentist

I thought rinsing was wrong too. My kids don't spit but use age appropriate toothpaste. They are also part of the Scottish Childsmile program so get fluoride paste smeared on them intermittently at both nursery and the dentist. I thought you had to have a ridiculous amount to get flourosis

There was a program on a few months back about dental health in children and at the end a dentist gave his advice that parents should brush twice a day with adult strength toothpaste, I had planned to ask the dentists about this next time I went.

I was also told by HV to use adult toothpaste and leave on teeth. DS is 2.5 and we live in an area with no fluoride in the water.

I had fluorosis when I was young, caused by liberal use of fluoride drops which we were at the time told to put in our morning drinks (even though there was already fluoride in our toothpaste, and AFAIK in our tap water). Even with all that extra fluoride, I didn't get a serious case of it, just some white 'scuff' marks.

Also - it disappeared completely sometime in my teens or maybe twenties, I can't remember. Please don't worry - you aren't using enough to get it, and even if you were, it may not last.

Thanks, all! I am completely neurotic, I admit it.

But there is such a diversity of advice. It's frustrating.

You could get a toothpaste without any fluoride