What if My Child Accidentally Swallows Mouthwash?

Do you believe that your child has swallowed some mouthwash? First, it’s important to not panic. You’ll need to be calm to assess the situation and figure out what you should do. You can rest assured that in most cases, it isn’t harmful to swallow a small amount of mouthwash.

If your child has consumed a large amount of mouthwash, call the toll-free Poison Help line at 1-800-222-1222.

What if My Child Swallows A Small Amount of Mouthwash?

Again, swallowing a small amount of mouthwash once or twice is not dangerous. Most likely, your child won’t display any symptoms or side effects from doing this. At the most, your child may have some stomach upset or diarrhea as a result of drinking a small sip of mouthwash.

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Supervise Them

As our children get older, it’s natural for us to give them a bit more freedom. But our children will continue to need our help with their personal care. Children should always be supervised when using mouthwash. It’s also helpful to swish mouthwash only in a calm quiet area. This way the child can focus on their dental routine. This will lessen the chances of swallowing mouthwash.

Children between the ages of 6 and 12 should be supervised when using mouthwash. If you have small children, under the age of 6, do not allow them to use any type of mouth rinse. In fact, keep it in a place where they will not be able to access it. Children that young do not know how to properly swish and spit out liquids without swallowing.

Find Out How Much They Ingested

Is your mouthwash bottle nearly empty? Since small amounts of mouthwash shouldn’t cause any serious problems, it’s important to determine just how much liquid your child swallowed. If your child swallows larger amounts of mouthwash it can cause more serious complications that will require medical intervention. If your child drank more mouthwash than you thought, or if you’re unsure about just how much your child drank, here are some steps to take.

What if My Child Swallows A Large Amount of Mouthwash?

Swallowing large amounts of mouthwash can result in serious health concerns. Here are some of the complications that can arise and what risk factors contribute to the seriousness of this situation.

Check the Label

Check to see if your mouthwash contains either alcohol or fluoride, which can be dangerous to children. It is wise to only allow your child to use kid-safe mouthwash that is free of potentially harmful ingredients, such as alcohol. If a child were to drink mouthwash with alcohol or other potentially toxic ingredients in large quantities, several dangerous symptoms could occur. These include nausea, trouble breathing, or dizziness. In severe cases, a child could have convulsions or go into a coma.

Call for Help

If your child has consumed a large amount of mouthwash, call the toll-free Poison Help line at 1-800-222-1222. Have the bottle of mouthwash handy so that you can tell the operator exactly what is contained in the ingredients list. Poison control will be able to tell you what steps you can take at your home or whether you should instead head directly to the emergency room. If this is the case, monitor your child for the above-mentioned symptoms and take them to the hospital immediately.

In most cases children do not ingest very much of the mouthwash that they use on a daily basis. With careful monitoring your child should be able to use mouthwash to keep their teeth and gums healthy. Remember to use the smallest amount possible and teach them the proper technique for swishing and spitting out the mouthwash. Keep mouthwash in a safe place where they cannot access it easily. If you take these precautions you should never have the problem of your child swallowing mouthwash in great quantities.