Melaleuca Koala Pals Berrylicious Tooth Gel Versus Tom's of Maine Silly Strawberry Toothpaste

The best toothpastes that I have found are the toothpastes manufactured by Melaleuca with tea tree oil. The close second, in my opinion, are the toothpastes created by Tom's of Maine.

For children's toothpaste, Melaleuca Koala Pals Berrylicious Tooth Gel with Fluoride is favored by my children in taste over Tom's of Maine Silly Strawberry and Outrageous Orange-Mango. Tom's also offers Silly Strawberry without fluoride utilizing calcium and silica for cleansing.

My children prefer Melaleuca's Berrylicious over Tom's of Maine Silly Strawberry in flavor. They note that Berrylicious is good because it is not too sweet. Berrylicious has more of a gel texture. It is accurately described as abrasive-free and sweetened with xylitol. Silly Strawberry has more of a creamy, chalky texture, which must come from the calcium and silica that are used to clean the teeth.

Both Melaleuca and Tom's of Maine offer children's toothpastes with and without fluoride. Melaleuca's Berrylicious has fluoride. Melaleuca's training toothpaste without fluoride is flavored like apples and includes the Melaleuca oil.

There are some people who have concerns about giving their children fluoride because it can be toxic in large amounts. Do not let your child eat the toothpaste. This is why medical professionals recommend that children under 2 do not brush their teeth with fluoride toothpaste or use a mouthwash. They could potentially swallow too much fluoride. A lethal dose for a 3-year-old is 500 mg, according to WebMD. Information suggesting lethal doses through the use of toothpaste or mouthwash was not found with a cursory search of the National Institutes of Health or Center for Disease Controls. This is also why Melaleuca and Tom's of Maine offer toothpaste with and without fluoride.