Swallowing toothpaste.

[spidermama]

My HV said to buy one of the total toothpastes and let the baby swallow it.

I'd heard that Sodium Lauryl Sulphate, which is in most toothpastes, is toxic?

What's the mumsnet consensus?

There are lots of chemicals in all sorts of things that may be toxic or harmful in large quantities but at the levels used they will be tested as being OK for normal use.

Why did the HV give this 'advice' it seems a bit odd ?

Bob leaves his toothpaste in his mouth - he doesn't have enough on the brush to spit it out (not to mention lacking the coordination). I like the fact his teeth are coated in fluoride.

Did she really mean swallow it? Or could she have meant leave it in the mouth like Bob.

I think she just meant don't bother trying to swill it out.

Ds's doctor said (yesterday) that we should use a baby toothpaste and he should swallow it (until he is 2 years) as he needs the flouride, if you don't rinse his mouth he iwll swallow it anyway. I don't know about total toothpastes though, but I think that adult toothpastes are too strong for a young child..

no idea, but i know that adult toothpaste shouldnt be put into the ear as its toxic, baby toothpaste is ok. but dont do it!!

Both mine (4 and 7) still swallow - they use the Macleans Milk Teeth one. ds has great teeth apart from having his first filling a few weeks ago.

btw Leogaela, in CH they don't add fluoride to the water (unlike many areas of UK)and the local brand kids' toothpastes dopn't always contain it . Our paed recommended cooking with the salt in the packet with a green band across!

I gotta ask..... why were you putting toothpaste in your ears????

my HV told me to buy normal toothpaste for DD and she gave me a tube too. so for 2.5 years DD brushed with that and swallowed it every time she brushed. until i read on mumsnet that i should be using kids toothpaste. i switched and DD started spitting it out!

i wasnt putting toothpaste in my ears, dd1 did lol. she got hold of a tube of kids toothpaste and a cotton bub and actually poked the toothpaste in quite far. we took her to a and e whilst wetting outselves with laughter, as did the nurses, but they had to check with the lab to see if the toothpaste would damage her inner ear etc. they said as it was a kids one it would be ok, but she make have some pain as it clears out, if it had been an adult toothpaste her ears would've needed to be cleaned out at the hospital.

I'm surprised that your dr. said to let your baby swallow the fluoride leogaela. Ex-h is a pediatric dentist and went on at length about the problem of children getting too much fluoride leading to fluorosis of the teeth. There has also been some debate questioning the original study that caused the whole fluoride craze. For that reason, I buy spring water for ds so that he doesn't get the fluoride from our water - still gets some from me cooking with it, etc. And, we use the toddler toothpaste that is fluoride-free and hence safe to swallow. From what I understand, the best way to give your child fluoride protection is to have the dentist apply it topically so that it doesn't enter the child's system IYKWIM.

Oooh, I'm a terrible mum... I probably would have just wiped it out best I could and left it at that - it wouldn't have occurred to me it could damage the ear!!

We use adult toothpaste for ds, because our water isn't fluoridated.

I'd heard this too jabberwocky. I also heard that the SLS in toothpaste is toxic and can build up.

My God it's a minefield isn't it?

Like bobbybob I use adult toothpaste for ds as our water has no flouride added.

We use Weleda or Green People toothpastes. No SLS.

Oh, no fluoride either. Fluoride is a very questionable additive IMO.

I have decided just to post on this thread. If I get involved with any of the breastfeeding threads at the moment my brain and probably my breasts will explode with fury. Toothpaste is a nice safe topic. If anyone wants me, I'll just be here.

Now how did I guess that you use SLS-free toothpaste frannyandzooey?

I used to use Kingfisher but they have SLS.

It is my pet 'Parp' subject on which I shouldn't post but I will just mention my first comment which was.....
There are lots of chemicals in all sorts of things that may be toxic or harmful in large quantities but at the levels used they will be tested as being OK for the use for which they are intended.

I will now try not to get embroiled!

glad to hear that jabberwocky - i use a fluoride free toothpaste for ds [sls free too] and he does swallow it but its all food grade material so i'm not too worried. Now fighting him to brush his teeth, that's a different matter!

LOL, I will try not to set you off Whizz, with my SLS free lifestyle - that was very restrained for a Parp subject. Here was me thinking toothpaste was a safe topic.

Whizz, I totally agree that one can get too caught up in worrying about additives. Fluorosis , however causes permanent disfiguration of teeth as the fluoride replaces the calcium.

I wasn't going enter the fluoride debate as I don't really know that much about it!