Oral Hygiene Information
Please take a few minutes to read through the following information and tips!
Toothbrushing Tips for children aged up to 3 years
* Start brushing your baby's teeth as soon as the first milk tooth breaks through (usually at around 6 months, but it can be earlier or later).
* Parents or carers should brush or supervise toothbrushing.
* Brush teeth twice daily for about 2 minutes with fluoride toothpaste.
* Use children's fluoride toothpaste containing no less than 1,000ppm of fluoride. This informaion can be found on the label on the box.
* Use only a smear of toothpaste.
* Make sure children don't eat or lick toothpaste from the tube.
Toothbrushing Tips for children aged 3 to 6 years
It's important to use a fluoride toothpaste when cleaning teeth as this helps prevent and control tooth decay.
* Brush at least twice daily for 2 minutes
* Brushing should be supervised by a parent or carer.
* Use children's toothpaste containing no less than 1,000ppm of fluoride. This information can be found on the label on the box.
* Use only a pea sized amount of toothpaste
* Spit out after brushing and don't rinse, if you rinse the fluoride will not work as well.
How to help children brush their teeth properly
* Guide your child's hand so they can feel the correct movement
* Use a mirror to help your child see exactly where the brush is cleaning their teeth.
* Make tooth brushing as fun as possible by using a timer. Lots can be found on You Tube.
Taking your child to the dentist
* NHS dental treatment for children is FREE
* Take your child to the dentist when their milk teeth first appear. The dentist can advise you on how to prevent decay and identify any oral health problems at an early stage.
* Take your child to the dentist for regular visits.
Bottles
It is recommended that you move away from the bottle and onto a free flow feeder cup at 6 months old.
Try to get children off bottles completely by the age of 1 because teats and spouts encourage children to suck for long periods of time meaning drinks that cause tooth decay stay in contact with children's teeth for longer.
Sippy cups are similar to bottles as they require the child to suck to make them work. A free flow feeder cup is better as they encourage the child to drink normally rather than sucking.
Dummies
Although dummies are brilliant to help sooth and relax young babies, they can use problems when children are older and they have teeth.
A dummy will encourage an open bite which is when teeth move to make space for the dummy. This may also affect speech development, especially s and z sounds.
Below are some links for you to look at which can give you further information, offer support with giving up dummies if needed and also some fun timers and videos to explain tooth brushing to children.
Links for information
https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/dummies
https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/healthy-body/kids-teeth-sweets-fizzy-drinks-faqs/
https://www.childcare.co.uk/information/how-to-ditch-the-dummy
Links for fun timers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fz8EByOKWgw