the fine print...

I've been doing what I can to get my kids to brush their teeth regularly. For Easter, they got Dora and Cars toothbrushes with corresponding toothpaste. Cute, right? And the kids LOVE it.

We brush their teeth first to get a good clean and show them how it's done, and then we give them two or three chances to brush by themselves. This usually equates to them sucking all the toothpaste off the brush and then playing in the water till they get a refill. Suck, "brush", rinse, repeat. I was feeling pretty good about this. They love brushing their teeth!

Last night, while this was going on, I started reading the toothpaste label. Are you kidding me?! It actually says this:


"Keep out of reach of children under 6 years of age.  If more than used for brushing is accidentally swallowed, get medical help or contact a Poison Control Center right away."

The Poison Control Center?! For Dora toothpaste?! What in the hell is that all about?! Healthy Smiles my ass, Dora. And apparently the American Dental Association knows all about this, publishes the warning on their website and still...STILL gives it their approval:

"The ADA Council on Scientific Affairs’ Acceptance of Colgate^® for Kids Toothpaste (Dora, Littlest Pet Shop, Bakugan, Transformers and SpongeBob) is based on its finding that the product is effective in helping to prevent and reduce tooth decay, when used as directed." 

Used as directed? Are you kidding me? What 2 to 4 year old is NOT going to chow down more of this bubble-gum flavored, cartoon-endorsed dental goodness than is "directed?" NONE. No normal kid will abstain from the yummy probably-tooth-decay-preventing toothpaste because the label says just use a "pea-size amount". Especially if their parents don't read the damn fine print! Let's face it, most kids don't even know what a pea is and if they did, they probably wouldn't need the candy-flavored toothpaste in the first place.

So my kids have sucking down what I thought was an ADA-approved, child-safe toothpaste that would keep them from getting cavities and instead, they're ingesting something that is apparently the equivalent of lighter fluid. Thanks, Colgate, ADA, Dora and whoever else has been promoting this.

I am becoming more of a hippie, naturalist every time I get blindsided by this kind of stuff. Organic toothpaste, anyone? And read the fine print on that...you just never know.