What types of toothpaste do you recommend to your patients?

Dr. Elizabeth Jackson: I recommend using toothpaste as soon as children have teeth. I basically recommend two different types of toothpastes.

Until a child can effectively spit, I recommend a children’s toothpaste that has the American Dental Association seal on the back of it, and that has fluoride at an acceptable level. At the infant stage, I usually recommend this fluoride toothpaste in the amount of the size of a grain of rice once a day. That gives children enough fluoride to help through the formative years to make sure their teeth are formed with fluoride to make them strong.

After children get to the point where they can spit, I recommend the size of an English pea amount of toothpaste on their toothbrush. That way they can spit, and they’re not getting too much fluoride. I recommend that until about age 12, when you can get to a point where you need a little bit more fluoride. Then I recommend any type of toothpaste that’s over the counter that does have the American Dental Association seal and that has fluoride in it.