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Do you wonder if the reasons you choose natural foods for your kids could also apply to toothpaste? Learn about the choices and get tips for natural oral care products that work well—and taste great—for even the pickiest kids.
Pam Scheeler has a B.S. in biochemistry and works in Tom’s of Maine’s Consumer Care and Professional Advocacy groups for oral care formulation and testing.
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There is a great discussion starting up about fluoride on the previous podcast:
http://blog.wholefoodsmarket.com/2008/08/back-to-school-in-green-style/#comments
August 12th, 2008 at 11:05 am
We use the Tom’s kids tooth paste and they love it.
August 12th, 2008 at 3:22 pm
Good topic. We ingest a decent amount of toothpaste during the brushing process, so it is vital to consider what we put in our mouths!
August 15th, 2008 at 8:46 am
Thanks, good podcast, information important for us parents.
August 17th, 2008 at 9:52 am
I agree with this guest. Artificial flavors used to “help” kids enjoy brushing their teeth just seems silly.
August 18th, 2008 at 7:12 am
We started using Tom’s mouth wash. The taste and affect is much more gentle the a traditional bright green mouth wash J. It is funny, at first I thought that perhaps it is not as affective as the mouth wash which literally feels like it is “burning” away germs. Once adjusting, I can’t imagine using the standard brand.
August 18th, 2008 at 8:30 am
My kids have no interest in using “regular” toothpaste. The flavors are much too strong, and I worry about the paste they swallow.
August 18th, 2008 at 8:35 am
I enjoy Tom’s kids toothpaste, and actually the entire family, young and older just share one tube now.
August 18th, 2008 at 8:36 am
Is there a 365 children’s toothpaste?
August 18th, 2008 at 8:40 am
I like the idea of using peppermint as a flavoring agent! My boys seem very drawn to this flavor, but they are not such big fans for strawberry in toothpaste.
August 18th, 2008 at 8:51 am
@Sally Currently, there is no 365 children’s toothpaste, but I’ve forwarded your suggestion to our private label team. Thanks!
August 18th, 2008 at 9:08 am
We tried to get our kids to use a homemade baking soda toothpaste, to no avail. The Strawberry T.O.M. –seems to be a gentle flavor they enjoy and they actually look forward to brushing as an activity they can do themselves.
August 18th, 2008 at 9:48 am
I agree with Lori. I to prefer the TOM’s kids toothpaste over some of their standard flavors.
August 18th, 2008 at 4:05 pm
SImple, good info. Thanks
August 19th, 2008 at 7:23 am
Great! This goes well in this series. I can’t believe it is nearly school time again.
August 19th, 2008 at 7:54 am
There is a great company called Natural Dentist which creates another good kids options.
August 19th, 2008 at 2:25 pm
We use the Tom’s mouth wash and it is a complete change from scope. Not only in color, but usability. The Tom’s doesn’t burn.
August 20th, 2008 at 8:31 am
It makes perfect sense to have children’s toothpaste be gentle.
August 20th, 2008 at 11:09 am
Alright great to hear there are natural whiteners! Now where can I get some, and what are the product lines?
August 20th, 2008 at 2:33 pm
Tawnya
I know that many tooth pastes taste horrible, but I had no idea they were loaded with sweeteners.
August 20th, 2008 at 2:34 pm
I do agree that a gentle tooth cleaner is good for children to help them avoid ingestion of harmful chemicals.
August 20th, 2008 at 2:42 pm
I started out with Crest with our oldest, to no avail. After diluting the strawberry she took to it, and now brushes on her own.
August 20th, 2008 at 2:45 pm
Silly Strawberry! Love it!
August 20th, 2008 at 2:49 pm
I’m surprised there aren’t many healthy kids toothpaste options. I’ve only found Tom’s thus far.
August 20th, 2008 at 2:55 pm
Oral health care is vital for all ages. Without oral health a series of deeper problems can arise. I follow brushing with Tom’s mouthwash.
August 20th, 2008 at 3:05 pm
Anything you can get your kids to brush with seems like a good option.
August 20th, 2008 at 3:12 pm
Thanks for the info. I noticed good advice concerning fluoride on your other entry!
August 20th, 2008 at 8:31 pm
Silly Strawberry works great for the kids!
August 21st, 2008 at 12:12 pm
The feedback for Silly Strawberry sounds strong. I’ll try it with my boys, and hope it reduces our current battles
August 21st, 2008 at 2:22 pm
Very cute photo! This brings back memories of early days for our kids. I’m glad to see other parents using natural tooth pastes.
August 21st, 2008 at 5:22 pm
Nice podcast
August 21st, 2008 at 6:12 pm
We are really glad there is Silly Strawberry!
August 21st, 2008 at 6:23 pm
Glad you are touting the importance of kids toothpaste with out sweeteners.
August 21st, 2008 at 6:30 pm
Using kids tooth paste is a great way to get them to brush, even better is all of the fun tooth brushes you can find. Dora of course is a big one in our house.
August 21st, 2008 at 6:40 pm
Tom’s mouthwash is such a great option. The standard mouthwashes are alcohol based and tear up your mouth.
August 21st, 2008 at 7:40 pm
We had to use are fingers to get the brushing done, I’m sad to say. It is easier with age and with a less abrasive tooth paste!
August 21st, 2008 at 7:52 pm
Nice conversation. I feel like each time I brush I have incidental bits of paste I ingest and I fear they indeed are not so incidental.
August 22nd, 2008 at 5:50 am
There really isn’t much choice here. If we know that a paste like tom’s does the job and doesn’t have sweeteners and actually has beneficial herbs, why would any one go with a product like crest?
August 22nd, 2008 at 6:01 am
It is good to see so many people interested in this topic. A simple change like oral health care can really help ones overall health.
August 22nd, 2008 at 6:06 am
I agree with Ilona, this is a simple but great topic to address if you have little ones!
August 25th, 2008 at 6:42 am
Ahhhh the Silly Strawberry brings back memories!
August 25th, 2008 at 10:34 am
I used my finger to get my daughter to take tooth paste at first. She has become a pro, and the fun flavor of strawberry seems to be a big part of the deal. We used crest recently and that did not go over well at all.
August 25th, 2008 at 10:48 am
Wonderful coverage. I am really enjoying this podcast series + the cooking shows you are running.
August 25th, 2008 at 11:40 am
It is so valuable to use a natural tooth paste, as well as any natural products when and where you can. It improves your general health quality.
August 25th, 2008 at 8:25 pm
Good stuff!
August 26th, 2008 at 2:15 pm
The fluoride in many tooth pastes can’t be good for really you kids.
August 26th, 2008 at 2:27 pm
The Silly Strawberry paste has really worked well for us. Indeed it was a battle prior to get are kids to but the Crest in their mouths.
August 28th, 2008 at 1:38 pm
Thanks for the info concerning fluoride, I have never known what was the past path on the subject.
August 28th, 2008 at 1:47 pm
I like some of these comments. “I use my finger to brush my kids teeth” classic, I hope they don’t leave for college anytime soon
It is true that it can be really hard to get some kids to brush, just be patient and use a paste that isn’t taste offensive.
August 28th, 2008 at 1:54 pm
Glad to find the link here! Great conversation going on and I agree that we should be aware and consider natural options for everything we put on and in our body.
August 28th, 2008 at 2:04 pm
Cute kid in the photo! Good oral health habits established with your kids at a young age will stick with them for a life time. “it may be hard, but once they learn, they’ll be at it forever!
August 28th, 2008 at 2:14 pm
I appreciate the tips and the advice/link out to the fluoride topic.
August 29th, 2008 at 9:51 am
To fluoride or not to fluoride that is the question! I appreciate the insight and link the topic.
September 2nd, 2008 at 12:43 pm
I love the Silly Strawberry!
September 4th, 2008 at 12:53 pm
Funny stuff. We tried baking soda at first with our wee ones… imagine this, they didn’t go for it. They do like the TOMS Strawberry flavor!
September 5th, 2008 at 11:57 am
Great coverage. It may seem like simple information but it is important to consider.
September 6th, 2008 at 1:47 pm
We Love Tom’s Silly Strawberry. It has changed my kids take on brushing!
September 6th, 2008 at 1:53 pm
good brushing habits established early in life will stay with the kids for their entire life.
September 7th, 2008 at 8:06 am
I agree that the flavor of the tooth paste makes a big difference in a child enjoying brushing + if you can have healthy ingredients that is key.
September 7th, 2008 at 11:36 am
I appreciate the pointers it validates the natural toothpaste approach we have taken with our kids!
September 7th, 2008 at 11:57 am
Toms has great products. I always enjoy trying the different flavors for adults, the kids love strawberry, maybe in the future they’ll try some more flavors for the kids.
September 7th, 2008 at 12:16 pm
I love the myrrh flavor! It’s so refreshing and provides an easy transition to eat food soon after. Normally after brushing teeth you have to wait to avoid the toothpaste taste and your breakfast flavors combining.
September 13th, 2008 at 7:03 am
I’ve been cleaning my kids’ teeth with regular kids’ toothpaste found on the market, but always wondered if there were natural oral care options for my children….I’m glad to learn there is. Thanks.
October 9th, 2008 at 8:04 pm
My husband and I both suffer from canker sores, and unfortunately my oldest daughter has began getting them too. I recently found out that Sodium Laurel Sulfate can be to blame and that SLS is in toothpaste (among many other things). I thought for sure Toms would be free of SLS, but I checked the ingredients and I was wrong! I couldn’t believe it.
June 5th, 2011 at 2:17 pm