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If you follow the advice of your dentist and/or dental hygienist, you will find yourself using toothpaste several times a day. Using a manual toothbrush with an elongated head, or an electric toothbrush with a small, round head. Have you ever wondered how much toothpaste to use? That head is so big or small for a reason, right? And that twice-daily brushing with a toothpaste with fluoride, you have to get enough fluoride from that on your brush for it to work against cavities, right? Can that also be too much? And does that still depend on your age?
A nice thick blob of toothpaste on your toothbrush makes brushing easier, right? Unfortunately no. Toothpaste contains some abrasive to scrub well, but it is really the bristles of your toothbrush that do the most important work. So replace them in time too! The fact remains that using too little toothpaste on your brush won’t get your teeth clean enough, but that thick blob is really much, much too much.
Children under six need less toothpaste than adults. A blob the size of a grain of rice is enough to keep children’s mouths clean and fresh. Not only because their mouths contain fewer and smaller teeth. But mainly because swallowing toothpaste with fluoride can lead to fluorosis. You can buy special toothpaste for (small) children where the fluoride content is adapted to their age. And even though your child may not accidentally (or intentionally) swallow anything, invariably using way too much toothpaste is obviously a waste.
Adults need not be so afraid of fluorosis or other physical complaints caused by too much toothpaste. But even for them, most of the toothpaste that advertisements show is completely unnecessary. So don’t smear the whole brush head full, but stick to a drop, think the size of a pea.
In (small) children, the danger of fluorosis lurks. That means brown spots all appear on their teeth as a result of far too much fluoride. While most adults know not to swallow toothpaste, children have more difficulty doing so. As a result, they are much more at risk of fluorosis than adults. Besides, of course, it is also a real waste to waste so much toothpaste. Most adults easily put four to five times more toothpaste on their manual toothbrush than necessary. Adults who brush with an electric toothbrush, with its small, round brush head, must be really bad at it, but even they often brush with more than double the recommended amount. Just for fun, do the math on how much money you save on an annual basis by doing this, I’m sure you can do much more fun things with that!
Finding it hard not to squeeze that tube too hard? Does one of those little peas of toothpaste look so empty on your toothbrush? Then try toothpaste tablets. These granules have just the right amount of toothpaste for one brushing. Pill in your mouth and brush without actually noticing how little it is. But it makes brushing just as pleasant and your mouth just as fresh and clean. And all that without wasting, count your winnings!
Frequently asked questions
How much toothpaste should I use?
For adults, a blob of toothpaste the size of a pea is recommended. This is enough to clean the mouth properly and much less than most people put on their toothbrush as standard.
How much toothpaste should a child use?
For children under the age of six, one grain of rice toothpaste is enough. This is partly because they often swallow toothpaste. Too much fluorine can thus lead to nasty brown stains on teeth.
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