I don't know if anyone else has a strong preference regarding toothpaste but I certainly do. I particularly like Colgate brand with baking soda and peroxide. I tolerate other kinds when I have to, but mostly I like to stick with what I like.
Toothpaste should taste like toothpaste. It shouldn't taste like cotton candy or bubble gum or whatever ridiculous flavors are out there to make kids want to brush their teeth.
While in England we found a toothpaste for children that we really liked, it was called Milk Teeth. We liked the paste for several reason, first of all, it tasted like mint, secondly, it contained a small dosage of fluoride. Fluoride is very good for our teeth, it strengthens the enamel and helps protect against cavities. Children however, especially young children that swallow their toothpaste instead of spitting it out, can get very sick from ingesting fluoride. At low doses however, fluoride wont do any damage.
As our tube of Milk Teeth started running low we began shopping around for a new infant toothpaste. We searched and searched, store after store and couldn't find an equivalent. All we could find was paste for over two years old, silly flavors, and no fluoride. We were very disappointed. When the checkout people would ask "Did you find everything you were looking for?" I'd say NO and tell them what I was looking for.
Some stores took my name and number but after a few days of research they would tell me they were unable to get the product I was looking for. Frustrated but not hopeless I contacted "my people" in England. We have some really good friends over there for a three year tour and I knew I could count on them. I asked them if they would mind buying loads of Milk Teeth and mailing it to me. The package just arrived.
We ran out of Milk Teeth before their package arrived. Fortunately we were able to find a suitable substitute while we waited. We found this at an Organic grocery store:
It is a spearmint flavored tooth gel. The only negatives I had with purchasing it was that it doesn't contain any fluoride and it was also quite expensive. This one tube cost $4.89. Milk Teeth cost 87 pence per tube which with the exchange rate is about $1.40. Not too bad for a tube of toothpaste (an average tube of children's toothpaste in the Maryland area runs about $3.00).
Comparing the two side by side made me a little sad. Both tubes contain 50 ml of product but the one that is available in the US is missing what I feel to be a very important ingredient when it comes to oral health and it is more than 3 times the cost.
Why is it so difficult for an American citizen to get a mint flavored paste with a low dosage of fluoride for their children? Why wont stores stock this product or a similar product to at least give parents the option to buy it? If you look at the toothpaste aisle next time you go to the store and you have a similar experience to mine, you will find that the only products available for children are flavored "berry cherry blast" or "outrageous orange." They will all also be fluoride free and you wont find anything labeled for infants.
Fluoride is a preventative ingredient and if anyone needs protection from cavities it is children. A little bit of fluoride could save a lot of money at the dental office. If you want the choice instead of just buying what is supplied than start asking and requesting your local grocery stores to stock Milk Teeth or a similar product. They wont provide it if it isn't in demand.
Sorry for the obnoxious soapbox rant. I promise I am not crazy, just overly passionate about toothpaste.
