Tooth Decay is caused by bacteria and germs that are in your mouth such as from eating foods, drinks etc.
To prevent tooth decay you should use mouthwash at least once or twice per day, floss between your teeth and brush your teeth at least 3 times per day or after every meal.
Doing oil pulling and having a professional dental cleaning done can also help prevent you from having tooth decay and losing your teeth.
To keep your teeth clean, healthy and to prevent tooth decay, gum disease, gingivitis etc you should brush your teeth as often as 3 times per day.
It's recommend that you brush your teeth after every meal or at least twice per day.
Washing your mouth out using mouthwash at least once per day and flossing in between meals is also a good thing to prevent gum disease, tooth decay and gingivitis.
If you happen to swallow just a little bit of toothpaste then nothing bad will happen and there's nothing you really need to do.
Swallowing a small amount of toothpaste is not harmful but it may cause some stomach pain.
Just drink some water to help flush the toothpaste on down your throat and into your stomach and after a few hours or at least within 24 hours the toothpaste will leave your stomach.
If you swallow more than the normal amount of toothpaste for brushing your teeth then contact poison control or go to urgent care.
If a toddler or young child swallows a lot of toothpaste then take them to the hospital because they may need to have their stomach pumped.
But if the child just swallowed a small amount of toothpaste then they will be okay.