Caring for Children’s Teeth

Children of a young age cannot look after their own teeth properly, which means that as a parent it is really down to you to look after their oral health during at least the first six to seven years. This can be a delicate time for them as they go through some big changes in their mouths.

Firstly at around 6 months, the teeth will break through the gums and for some children this can be very painful. A few years later, at around the age of 7 years, their secondary teeth will start to put in an appearance. The baby teeth will become loose to make way for the secondary teeth push their way through. This is another milestone for a child, and at first can be quite stressful.

A regular teeth-cleaning routine is essential for good dental health. Follow these tips and you can help keep your children’s teeth decay-free:

• Start to brush your baby’s gums with a soft toothbrush at bath time, or even let your baby have a go themselves as long as you supervise them. This establishes brushing their teeth as part of the washing routine.
• Children under the age of three can use a smear of family toothpaste containing at least 1,000ppm (parts per million) fluoride. Toothpaste with less fluoride is not as effective at preventing decay. Children between the ages of three and six should use a pea-sized blob of toothpaste containing 1,350-1,500ppm fluoride. Check the toothpaste packet for this information or ask your dentist.
• Make sure your child doesn’t eat or lick the toothpaste from the tube.
• Brush your child’s teeth for at least two minutes twice a day, once just before bedtime and at least one other time during the day. Encourage them to spit out excess toothpaste but not to rinse with lots of water.
• Supervise tooth brushing until your child is six or seven years old, either by brushing their teeth yourself or, if they brush their own teeth, by watching how they do it. From the age of seven or eight they should be able to brush their own teeth, but it’s still a good idea to watch them now and again to make sure they brush properly and for the whole two minutes.

Making sure they brush properly

• Guide your child’s hand so that they can feel the correct movement of the brush.
• Make tooth brushing as fun as possible, using an egg timer to time it for at least two minutes.
• Don’t let children run around with a toothbrush in their mouth as they may damage their mouths or choke if they fall over.

Taking your child to the dentist

Once you’ve established a good tooth-brushing routine at home, the next step is the first trip to the dentist. These tips can make this a lot easier:

• Take your child with you to your dental appointments when they’re as young as possible so they become familiar with the environment and get to know the dentist.
• Your child should also have a check up as early as possible, and at least once by the time they’re two. This enables the dentist to help prevent decay and identify any health problems at an early stage.