The children’s dental section is overflowing with products aimed at keeping childrens’ teeth and gums healthy. Bubblegum or grape flavor, fluoride or no fluoride, it’s enough for any parent’s eyes to gloss over. We’ve come up with a list of some of our favorite dental hygiene products to take the guesswork out of your next shopping trip. Excluding toothbrushes, we review toothpastes, floss, mouthwashes, and even chewing gum. Let’s get started!
Toothpastes
While non-fluoride toothpaste has been on the rise in recent years, fluoride during childhood can help keep away tooth decay which can easily develop in kids’ teeth from all the cookies, sodas, and ice cream we all know they consume on a daily basis. The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends fluoride toothpaste once the first tooth has appeared, as well as brushing twice a day. Creating a strong brushing routine is pivotal at a young age. For younger kids, make sure to check their brushing – many aren’t able to brush effectively so parents need to do the scrubbing for them.
Younger Childrens’ Toothpastes:
We all know our six-year-olds require something more special than just plain toothpaste on their brush. It’s either got to be bright blue and action figure covered or sparkly and smelling like cake. Packed with all the wham-shazam sparkle punch a kid can take, here are our favorite toothpastes for young children:
- Hello Bello: Unicorn Sparkle Natural Toothpaste with Fluoride
https://www.target.com/p/hello-kid-39-s-unicorn-sparkle-fluoride-toothpaste-sls-free-vegan-natural-bubble-gum-flavor-4-2oz/-/A-79635257#lnk=sametab
Hello Bello’s line of toothpastes are all-natural with no artificial sweeteners, parabens, sulfates, dyes, and animal products. If you are looking for a great vegan, all-natural product that still has fluoride for cavity protection, they are a great choice. And who can resist UNICORN SPARKLE?! Not us!
- Mystic by Crest Kids
https://www.target.com/p/mystic-by-crest-kid-39-s-toothpaste-with-fluoride-enchanted-strawberry-flavor-4-0oz/-/A-79586023#lnk=sametabCrest Kids has an entire line of Mystic products, from toothpaste to toothbrushes and mouthwash. They’re also free of parabens, microbeads, and other harmful ingredients. The dragon character is a hit for kids who love dragons and magic.
- ACT Kids Toothpaste
https://www.target.com/p/act-kids-toothpaste-bubblegum-4-6oz/-/A-51096843#lnk=sametab
ACT is a solid oral care brand and their kids’ toothpaste doesn’t disappoint. Aluminum, phthalates, and paraben-free but loaded with enamel protecting, cavity-fighting cleansing power in a who-doesn’t-love bubblegum flavor.
Toothpastes Great For Tweens & Teens:
We wouldn’t recommend using heavy teeth whitening as a tween or teen, so keep that in mind and choose a product that is still fitting for their age group for this age range as well. Here are a few that work well:
- The Classic: Crest Cool Gel
https://www.target.com/p/crest-cavity-toothpaste-gel-cool-mint-8-2oz/-/A-13956325#lnk=sametab
Crest Cool Gel has that satisfying cooling sensation and is free of phthalates, parabens, and aluminum.
- Colgate Cavity Protection Toothpaste with Fluoride
https://www.target.com/p/colgate-cavity-protection-toothpaste-with-fluoride-6oz-3pk/-/A-75563127
Clinically proven to strengthen enable, this a great option for a simple and effective toothpaste.
- Theory Freshness Care
https://www.target.com/p/theory-freshness-care-essential-mint-natural-toothpaste-3-7oz/-/A-80137835#lnk=sametab
A cool, natural toothpaste free of filler ingredients. No parabens, dyes, artificial flavors, sugars, etc. Contains stevia for natural sweetness.
- Native Sensitive Fluoride Natural Toothpaste
https://www.target.com/p/native-sensitive-fluoride-natural-toothpaste-4-1oz/-/A-80137803#lnk=sametab
We love Native. It’s a great made in the USA, natural brand that has a plethora of beauty products including aluminum-free deodorant, sunscreen, and you guessed it – toothpaste. Completely free of any harmful ingredient and cruelty-free, this toothpaste does a great job cleaning teeth and improving the world.
Floss
Now, let’s talk floss! There are tons that all look the same at first glance. You can choose string, pick, flavored, etc. But which are the best for kids? Let’s take a deeper look:
- Dentek Kids Floss Picks & GUM Crayola Twistables
https://www.target.com/p/dentek-kids-fun-flossers-floss-picks-for-kids-90ct/-/A-13292817#lnk=sametab & https://www.target.com/p/gum-crayola-twistables-fluoride-flossers-90ct/-/A-51096816#lnk=sametab
When they’re little, keep it fun with colorful floss picks. Picks make it easier for kids to reach those back teeth and limit the struggles of winding floss around their fingers. Both Dentek Kids & GUM Crayola Twistables are great options.
- Cocofloss
https://cocofloss.com/
For older kids such as tweens & teens who prefer regular floss, Cocofloss is a new product line using vegan wax, coconut fibers, and soothing fruit oils. The coconut fibers provide a thicker floss that can scrape off plaque between teeth much better than thin waxed or traditional floss can. This floss can be ordered as a subscription box, one-time purchase, and found in some stores.
Mouthwash
Mouth rinses help clean the teeth of any leftover debris from brushing & flossing, as well as providing a quick dose of germ-killing power to ward off bacteria growth overnight. Mouthwash isn’t a necessity but if you can get your child to do a rinse every night after brushing and flossing, we commend you. For mouthwashes, we recommend the gold-standard – ACT.
ACT is the leader in kids’ mouthwashes. You can’t go wrong with any flavor or type of rinse by this brand. They offer solid fluoride protection with an easy-to-measure top so kids don’t over-use.
Gum
No kid hates gum. But most gum products aimed at kids are loaded with harmful sugar that stays on their teeth till bedtime and beyond if they’re not great at brushing. While it’s completely fine to have a little Big Chew on that baseball game day, if your child has braces or is a big chewer, they need a brand that won’t compromise their tooth enamel. Here are our favorite gums:
- Trident
https://www.tridentgum.com
It’s the tried and true staple of good gum for kids. Not loaded with sugar and braces safe, Trident is a great pack of gum to keep on hand when your kids are itching to chew.
- Project 7 Natural Gum
https://project7.com/collections/clean-gum
Target now carries Project 7 gum in several flavors. Think of gum as almost healthy with this gem! Project 7 contains no aspartame or artificial ingredients and is vegan. They use stevia for the sweetener.
- PUR
https://www.amazon.com/stores/PUR/page/F6D80CCA-34AA-49AB-B8CD-FB6D030C415E?ref_=ast_bln
Similar to Project 7, PUR is a great clean gum product line you can find easily on Amazon and in some stores like Whole Foods.
Toothbrushes are in a world of their own and with so many options by age, we’re saving them for a separate blog post, so stay tuned!
We hope this list of “best of’s” has been helpful to you! If your child is in a need of a cleaning, general dental checkup, or is experiencing a dental issue, call us today at (864) 297-5585. Holly Tree Pediatric Dentistry serves Simpsonville and the surrounding Greenville SC areas of Greer, Woodruff, Laurens, Clinton, and Fountain Inn, among others. For children under 2, we offer first visits for free! Join our dental family today!