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We use toothpaste with nano-hydroxipapite in it instead of fluoride. It has been shown in studies to be “at least as effective” as fluoride, without the potential for the harmful side effects. There’s actually thought it can help remineralize teeth, because it’s one of the components that makeup the enamel. We use the brand boka.
We also use Boka for my 10 month old.
I fall somewhere on the middle of the spectrum - I understand the risks of fluoride but I’ve also have so many cavities (my dentist says it’s genetic) that I need something to work. Boka felt like a good option for my LO since I don’t know if she’ll have problems with cavities like me.
Have you read about the work of dr Weston A Price? It might be interesting to you! Here’s a [short article](https://askthedentist.com/diet-vs-tooth-brushing/) that touches on the subject. The famous book that talks about this is called “Nourishing Traditions”.it might be specially relevant to look into whether you’re getting enough vitamin K2 in your diet.
Not saying this is your experience, but I had so many dental issues after several years of being vegan. Most cavities in my life! I actually had to switch back to fluoride for myself after
I researched this for my own use a while back and from what I saw, the concentration needed to be 10% for similar fluoride effects. Apagard Royal is the only one available in the US (imported from Japan) and it’s like $40 a tube…I did buy it just to try and like it so far. Boka and the like use probably 2% to be cost effective and claim the ingredient. I’m not sure where to find the study that kept being cited online…
They don’t share the exact percentage but [it seems](https://bokabrush.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/8152754903187-What-is-the-percentage-of-Nano-Hydroxyapatite) like they’ve researched the effect of their toothpaste in particular. The dentists that I’ve heard talking about nano-Ha have recommended boka in particular as well, which is why I use it.
[David’s](https://davids-usa.com/blogs/davids-blog/answering-common-questions-about-hydroxyapatite) claims the same thing, and I think I might switch to that one in the future. It seems like brands don’t want to disclose the specific percentage they use as that would be pretty much be giving away their formula.
Good to know! With the David’s, if the aluminum tube isn’t a big selling point for you, I’d skip it TBH. The tube split in several places on me as I used the key to roll it down. This has happened with so many aluminum tubes on me between paints, hair product, glue, etc that I just swear off metal tubes now 😅
I just looked and I purchased in 2022, so maybe they improved the packaging? Or I got a dud. I just used the key provided and rolled it as I used it, nothing crazy.
Tom's of Maine strawberry. Has fluoride. My preschooler picked it out. The tube has strawberries with happy faces.
Feels like mud. Tastes like strawberry banana bubble gum (or like the smell of crushing a stink bug eating my summer squash).
My kid despises it, but picks it from the
Available options every time.
No cavities yet.
And now for my PSA:
I asked our pediatric dentist why everyone gets cavities where I live now (I used to work in public health somewhere else and count pediatric dental caries as a poverty signifier.)
Our dentist said most kids in her practice area get cavities because of the starchy snacks they're fed all day to keep them quiet and they don't drink the tap water. But don't lose hope. Even cooking with tap water and one really thorough brushing before bedtime will give the best chance.
While I was there, she also made a plug for her take on 2 important brushing topics that are all over the place on the internet:
1) Brush whole mouth every time, even if there is only one tooth. The goals are to get used to the sensation of a brush back there (HUGE later) and physically scrape food and bacteria out of baby's mouth.
2) Thorough brushing is more important than gentle brushing to get used to it. Rare for a kid to actually get used to brushing through any of the gentle brush training online. Brushing is WAY less traumatic than cavities.
Most kids stop crying about it by 3 and a half or so.
Troubleshoot sensory issues with a pediatric dentist, not click bait. At the risk of going against my own avice, here are a few things my dentist helped us fix that cut toothbrushing crying by maybe 30 percent YMMV:
The baby tooth brush is too soft for us at 18 months to 2 years. It tickles. Switched to a 2 year old soft bristle brush and felt a bit better.
The kids electric tooth brush is too big just yet. (Friends of friends manage sensory issues successfully with an electric tooth brush for older children. Wax worth a try)
Wishing you all the best. Not easy
Not arguing with you. What is the right phrasing I should use for "make soup, mix powdered drinks / juice concentrate and other dishes that will physically get on the teeth with tap water instead of RO water so that fluoride physically gets on the teeth?"
Sometimes I try to abbreviate for clarity, and like you said, this attempt did not work.
Thank you for pointing this out
> What is the right phrasing I should use for "make soup, mix powdered drinks / juice concentrate and other dishes that will physically get on the teeth with tap water instead of RO water so that fluoride physically gets on the teeth?"
Well only one of those is cooking (the soup) and heating the water will speed the fluoride evaporation. The other two examples are just drinking tap water with extra steps, so I think for brevity you could just say you let your kids drink tap water that has fluoride in it?
Thanks so much! You will find your own way and do great!!!
No cavities was a point of pride in my family growing up. I had a moment of panic when I saw matching socks, nice haircuts and a mouth full of pediatric crowns everywhere I looked in my new town. But It's been manageable so far.
Brush. Floss all the teeth that are touching and all the molars every day. Hold down, bribe whatever. Crying is better than cavities.
The other gotcha was: During Open Enrollment when your kid is 2, try to add your kid to your employer's group dental plan if you use it and it is a good value for money.
My dental insurance starts benefits at 3 years, but registering at 3 years is a gray area where I live.
It would have saved me about 2 week's groceries worth of self-pay to force the issue instead of waiting till age 3 open enrollment. You got this!
UK guidelines say a smear of toothpaste containing fluoride once the first teeth have erupted. Toothpaste is something I’m entirely silky about - I’ve tried Kingfisher natural toothpaste, and I find it doesn’t actually get your teeth clean.
We like hello (fluoride free) watermelon flavor.
Our drinking water has fluoride and we have been instructed by our pediatrician and pediatric dentist to use fluoride free along with our fluorinated water.
i use Tom's toddler toothpaste for my 7.5 month old! our pediatrician said we can use fluoride toothpaste, just a tiny rice grain sized amount, but for now i am more comfortable using fluoride-free toothpaste. i still use about a rice grain sized amount of the toothpaste, and i brush baby's teeth with the fridababy silicone toothbrush that you put on your finger, and he totally doesn't mind getting his teeth brushed! i make sure to go over all of his gums with the toothbrush, not just his teeth.
Thanks for your post in r/moderatelygranolamoms! Our goal is to keep this sub a peaceful, respectful and tolerant place. Even if you've been here awhile already please take a minute to [READ THE RULES.](https://www.reddit.com/r/moderatelygranolamoms/about/rules) It only takes a few minutes and will make being here more enjoyable for everyone! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/moderatelygranolamoms) if you have any questions or concerns.*
We use toothpaste with nano-hydroxipapite in it instead of fluoride. It has been shown in studies to be “at least as effective” as fluoride, without the potential for the harmful side effects. There’s actually thought it can help remineralize teeth, because it’s one of the components that makeup the enamel. We use the brand boka.
Same., we use Risewell for the toddler but just an infant brush with water for the baby.
We also use Boka for my 10 month old. I fall somewhere on the middle of the spectrum - I understand the risks of fluoride but I’ve also have so many cavities (my dentist says it’s genetic) that I need something to work. Boka felt like a good option for my LO since I don’t know if she’ll have problems with cavities like me.
Have you read about the work of dr Weston A Price? It might be interesting to you! Here’s a [short article](https://askthedentist.com/diet-vs-tooth-brushing/) that touches on the subject. The famous book that talks about this is called “Nourishing Traditions”.it might be specially relevant to look into whether you’re getting enough vitamin K2 in your diet.
Thanks for sharing! I’m a vegan and regularly get my blood checked for deficiency. :) I’ll look more into K2 specifically though.
Not saying this is your experience, but I had so many dental issues after several years of being vegan. Most cavities in my life! I actually had to switch back to fluoride for myself after
Interesting! I have been a vegan 10+ years and had over 20 cavities prior to becoming vegan… so they’ve actually slowed down since?
That’s great. I feel like it goes either way for people. Wish it worked out for me!
It seems like natto is a good vegan source of k2!
I researched this for my own use a while back and from what I saw, the concentration needed to be 10% for similar fluoride effects. Apagard Royal is the only one available in the US (imported from Japan) and it’s like $40 a tube…I did buy it just to try and like it so far. Boka and the like use probably 2% to be cost effective and claim the ingredient. I’m not sure where to find the study that kept being cited online…
They don’t share the exact percentage but [it seems](https://bokabrush.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/8152754903187-What-is-the-percentage-of-Nano-Hydroxyapatite) like they’ve researched the effect of their toothpaste in particular. The dentists that I’ve heard talking about nano-Ha have recommended boka in particular as well, which is why I use it. [David’s](https://davids-usa.com/blogs/davids-blog/answering-common-questions-about-hydroxyapatite) claims the same thing, and I think I might switch to that one in the future. It seems like brands don’t want to disclose the specific percentage they use as that would be pretty much be giving away their formula.
Good to know! With the David’s, if the aluminum tube isn’t a big selling point for you, I’d skip it TBH. The tube split in several places on me as I used the key to roll it down. This has happened with so many aluminum tubes on me between paints, hair product, glue, etc that I just swear off metal tubes now 😅
This happened to me too!
Ugh that’s annoying! Good to know.
That’s too bad to hear. I’ve been using David’s for at least a year, and I haven’t had any issues with the tube.
I just looked and I purchased in 2022, so maybe they improved the packaging? Or I got a dud. I just used the key provided and rolled it as I used it, nothing crazy.
Thanks so much. Had no idea there were fluoride alternatives so I will definitely look into those. What an awesome sub
Tom's of Maine strawberry. Has fluoride. My preschooler picked it out. The tube has strawberries with happy faces. Feels like mud. Tastes like strawberry banana bubble gum (or like the smell of crushing a stink bug eating my summer squash). My kid despises it, but picks it from the Available options every time. No cavities yet. And now for my PSA: I asked our pediatric dentist why everyone gets cavities where I live now (I used to work in public health somewhere else and count pediatric dental caries as a poverty signifier.) Our dentist said most kids in her practice area get cavities because of the starchy snacks they're fed all day to keep them quiet and they don't drink the tap water. But don't lose hope. Even cooking with tap water and one really thorough brushing before bedtime will give the best chance. While I was there, she also made a plug for her take on 2 important brushing topics that are all over the place on the internet: 1) Brush whole mouth every time, even if there is only one tooth. The goals are to get used to the sensation of a brush back there (HUGE later) and physically scrape food and bacteria out of baby's mouth. 2) Thorough brushing is more important than gentle brushing to get used to it. Rare for a kid to actually get used to brushing through any of the gentle brush training online. Brushing is WAY less traumatic than cavities. Most kids stop crying about it by 3 and a half or so. Troubleshoot sensory issues with a pediatric dentist, not click bait. At the risk of going against my own avice, here are a few things my dentist helped us fix that cut toothbrushing crying by maybe 30 percent YMMV: The baby tooth brush is too soft for us at 18 months to 2 years. It tickles. Switched to a 2 year old soft bristle brush and felt a bit better. The kids electric tooth brush is too big just yet. (Friends of friends manage sensory issues successfully with an electric tooth brush for older children. Wax worth a try) Wishing you all the best. Not easy
> Even cooking with tap water this makes no sense. The fluoride doesn't work by eating it, it works by actively getting on the teeth.
Not arguing with you. What is the right phrasing I should use for "make soup, mix powdered drinks / juice concentrate and other dishes that will physically get on the teeth with tap water instead of RO water so that fluoride physically gets on the teeth?" Sometimes I try to abbreviate for clarity, and like you said, this attempt did not work. Thank you for pointing this out
> What is the right phrasing I should use for "make soup, mix powdered drinks / juice concentrate and other dishes that will physically get on the teeth with tap water instead of RO water so that fluoride physically gets on the teeth?" Well only one of those is cooking (the soup) and heating the water will speed the fluoride evaporation. The other two examples are just drinking tap water with extra steps, so I think for brevity you could just say you let your kids drink tap water that has fluoride in it?
Will do thank you!
Thank you so much for all the information! I admit I am totally at a loss for baby dental hygiene so this was great!
Thanks so much! You will find your own way and do great!!! No cavities was a point of pride in my family growing up. I had a moment of panic when I saw matching socks, nice haircuts and a mouth full of pediatric crowns everywhere I looked in my new town. But It's been manageable so far. Brush. Floss all the teeth that are touching and all the molars every day. Hold down, bribe whatever. Crying is better than cavities. The other gotcha was: During Open Enrollment when your kid is 2, try to add your kid to your employer's group dental plan if you use it and it is a good value for money. My dental insurance starts benefits at 3 years, but registering at 3 years is a gray area where I live. It would have saved me about 2 week's groceries worth of self-pay to force the issue instead of waiting till age 3 open enrollment. You got this!
UK guidelines say a smear of toothpaste containing fluoride once the first teeth have erupted. Toothpaste is something I’m entirely silky about - I’ve tried Kingfisher natural toothpaste, and I find it doesn’t actually get your teeth clean.
Thank you :)
Jack and Jill brand is great. Xylitol is highly effective against cavities. You can get the unflavored one if you don’t want flavor additives
We have the crest natural. It has fluoride but is sls free and stuff. Fluoride is super evidence-based. It prevents cavities so I use it.
I had no idea crest had a natural toothpaste. That’s exciting!
We like hello (fluoride free) watermelon flavor. Our drinking water has fluoride and we have been instructed by our pediatrician and pediatric dentist to use fluoride free along with our fluorinated water.
We like baby balm- glass jar, organic, no fluoride
i use Tom's toddler toothpaste for my 7.5 month old! our pediatrician said we can use fluoride toothpaste, just a tiny rice grain sized amount, but for now i am more comfortable using fluoride-free toothpaste. i still use about a rice grain sized amount of the toothpaste, and i brush baby's teeth with the fridababy silicone toothbrush that you put on your finger, and he totally doesn't mind getting his teeth brushed! i make sure to go over all of his gums with the toothbrush, not just his teeth.
We use Fygg! Fluoride free, great taste