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Regarding kids’ oral hygiene, a high-quality toothpaste is just as important as a good toothbrush. Toothpaste helps disrupt harmful bacteria and protects your child from tooth decay and gum disease.
Your child’s age, needs, and preferences can all affect your choice of toothpaste. It’s also important to know what ingredients to look for (and what to avoid).
There are dozens of children’s toothpastes on the market. They vary widely in ingredients, price, and quality. We’ve compiled a list of seven excellent options.
In addition, we’ll go into detail about important factors to consider when shopping for toothpaste, including ingredients such as fluoride.
Our Top Recommendations for Kids' Toothpaste
We've put each product in its own category to help you choose the best toothpaste for your child. Whatever your needs or budget, we have a recommendation that will work for you.
Here are the top seven toothpastes for kids:
We chose Kinder Karex as our top pick due to its safety for kids of all ages, including babies. Kinder Karex is a German brand with extensive research to back its choice of ingredients.1 They also have to comply with European Union and ISO standards.
Kinder Karex uses hydroxyapatite (HAP) as an alternative to fluoride. This makes it effective at strengthening and protecting your child’s teeth while being safe to swallow.
Note that this toothpaste has a mild mint flavor. While many kids and adults liked it, a few reviewers noted that their kids didn’t enjoy the minty taste. If you’d rather avoid mint, you may want to try one of our other recommendations.
Burst Kids is our top choice for kids’ fluoridated toothpaste. Fluoride is the main ingredient. It also contains sorbitol and xylitol to sweeten it and help fight cavities.
Burst toothpaste flavors include marshmallow (with a hint of mint) and bubblegum. They also have a non-fluoride option in strawberry that contains nano-hydroxyapatite (nano-HAP) instead, which has been shown to remineralize and repair teeth.
Multiple reviews praised the flavor of both Burst’s fluoride and fluoride-free options as good choices for picky kids.
Jack N’ Jill Natural Kids Toothpaste is designed to be hypoallergenic and safe if accidentally swallowed. It contains:
This toothpaste has the widest variety of flavors of any of the products on our list. The eight flavors include milkshake, bubblegum, and several fruits. There is also a flavor-free option.
One downside of Jack N’ Jill is that the toothpaste doesn’t contain fluoride or HAP. This means it might not offer the remineralization benefits these ingredients provide (fluoride-free toothpaste often contains HAP as an alternative).
For kids with taste sensitivities, we recommend Dr. Bob Unflavored Toothpaste. This toothpaste uses fluoride to strengthen enamel and prevent tooth decay. It also contains xylitol, which also helps protect teeth from cavities.
Some children have sensory issues that make it difficult to get them to use flavored toothpaste. Dr. Bob may be the right choice if you’re looking for fluoride toothpaste without mint or other flavorings.
NOW Kids Xyliwhite provides great value for your money if you want xylitol-based toothpaste. It uses 25% xylitol and sorbitol for a sweet flavor and anti-cavity benefits.
Although Jack N’ Jill also uses xylitol as its main cavity-fighting ingredient, NOW Xyliwhite is priced at $5.99 for a 3oz tube rather than $6.99 for 1.76oz. This makes it about half the cost per ounce.
However, like Jack N’ Jill, the xylitol-based formula means your child’s teeth won’t get the remineralization benefits of fluoride or HAP. NOW Xyliwhite also contains a small amount of tea tree oil, which some children may be sensitive to.
If you’re looking for toothpaste suitable for kids and adults, we recommend Boka Natural Toothpaste. Boka uses nano-hydroxyapatite (nano-HAP) to remineralize teeth and protect them from sensitivity.
Boka’s formula is also free of sulfates (including SLS), parabens, and artificial flavors or colors. It comes in four flavors: Orange Cream, Ela Mint, Lemon Lavender, and Coco Ginger.
If you’re looking for an effective toothpaste on a budget, you may want to try Tom’s of Maine Natural Fluoride Toothpaste.
At just $0.88/oz, this toothpaste has the lowest cost per ounce on our list. It also boasts the ADA Seal of Acceptance, partly due to its inclusion of fluoride to help prevent cavities.
Tom’s of Maine Fluoride Children’s Toothpaste is free of parabens and artificial preservatives. However, it does contain carrageenan and sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), which can be irritants. This toothpaste isn’t safe to swallow.
NewMouth is a trusted online resource for comprehensive oral health information. We have researched and reviewed toothpastes and other oral hygiene products for over 3 years.
We have a dedicated team of medical writers, expert researchers, licensed dental professionals, and medical reviewers who create and oversee everything published on our site.
We ranked and classified the products featured in this article after extensive research on their ingredients, pricing, and verified customer reviews. We also incorporated feedback from our in-house medical review team.
These products cover a wide range of options for parents and kids who may have different needs, budgets, and preferences.
Here’s a general timeline for you to follow when brushing your child’s teeth:
Fluoride helps prevent tooth decay by strengthening tooth enamel. It mimics and combines with the minerals in tooth enamel. This repairs damage caused by oral bacteria before it becomes decay.2
However, when deciding whether or not to use fluoridated toothpaste for your child, there are a few factors to consider:
There are several important factors to consider when looking for a good children’s toothpaste.
Here’s a detailed look at what to keep an eye out for:
The American Dental Association (ADA) gives its Seal of Acceptance to toothpastes that have proven to be effective at preventing tooth decay. The ADA Seal of Acceptance is a good indicator of toothpaste quality and reliability.
However, while having the ADA Seal of Acceptance is a good sign, not having it doesn’t mean that the toothpaste won’t be safe or effective. The ADA requires specific standards.
For example, the ADA only accepts toothpastes that contain fluoride.6 This means hydroxyapatite toothpastes aren’t eligible for the Seal of Acceptance, even though hydroxyapatite has proven benefits like those of fluoride.7,8
Fluoride is a naturally occurring mineral proven to benefit oral health. It mimics the structure of tooth enamel and binds to it, strengthening teeth and protecting them from decay.
Once your child is old enough to spit out their toothpaste (around 2 years old), fluoridated toothpaste can help keep their teeth healthy.
On the other hand, many cities add fluoride to their water. If your child drinks fluoridated water, they may already be getting its protective benefits.3 Ingesting too much fluoride can also lead to fluorosis or poisoning.
A great alternative to fluoride is hydroxyapatite. Tooth enamel is largely made of hydroxyapatite, and studies have shown it to be effective at strengthening teeth.7,8 Many toothpastes use it both to prevent cavities and protect teeth from sensitivity.
The flavor is another factor to consider when choosing a toothpaste for your child. The most common toothpaste flavor is mint. Mint provides a refreshing, cooling sensation that may make your mouth feel cleaner.9
However, a wide variety of toothpaste flavors are now available. Alternatives for kids who don’t enjoy mint include sweet or fruity flavors. Our list only includes products that use natural flavors, so you can avoid artificial flavors and still enjoy various options.
In addition, some children are sensitive to flavoring additives and may have difficulty using most toothpaste. For this reason, we also included unflavored toothpaste for kids in our list.
Some ingredients often found in toothpaste are best avoided due to their potential negative effects. These include:
Only one toothpaste on our list contains any of these ingredients. Tom’s of Maine contains both SLS and carrageenan.
Oral hygiene is crucial for children’s growth and development, and toothpaste is a key part of good oral hygiene. An effective toothpaste will help your child maintain healthy teeth and gums.
But with dozens of toothpaste brands available online, it can be hard to find the right choice for your child. We compiled this list of children’s toothpaste to help simplify things.
Our top choice overall is Kinder Karex. This toothpaste is designed to be safe for kids to swallow. It uses hydroxyapatite to remineralize tooth enamel and prevent cavities.
Whatever your budget or your child’s needs, we’re confident this list will help you choose the best toothpaste.
When your baby’s first teeth come in, you can use a soft toothbrush and a bit of water to brush their teeth. Alternatively, you can use a soft, wet cloth to clean their teeth.
Between then and age 2, you can also begin using a tiny smear of toothpaste. With such a small amount (especially if the toothpaste is fluoride-free), you’ll minimize any risks from them accidentally swallowing it.
Kids under 3 should use a tiny smear of toothpaste, no bigger than a grain of rice. Kids 3 and older (and adults) can use a slightly larger amount, about the size of a pea.
To keep your child from swallowing the toothpaste, it’s best to brush their teeth while they’re sitting upright rather than lying down.
The CDC and other health organizations recommend waiting until age 2 to use toothpaste with fluoride.2 This is because it’s easy for babies to swallow the toothpaste, which can lead to fluorosis or fluoride poisoning.
Once your child is about 2, you can safely brush their teeth with a tiny smear of fluoridated toothpaste, no larger than a grain of rice.
There’s no one feature of children’s toothpaste that makes it inappropriate for adults. However, adults might not enjoy the flavor of kids’ toothpastes, and vice versa.
Adults and kids can often safely use each other’s toothpaste, with one important factor to consider—fluoride. Adult toothpaste with fluoride isn’t safe for babies and toddlers to swallow.
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