Oral Hygiene Information

Please take a few minutes to read through the following information and tips!

 Toothbrushing Tips for children aged 2 to 6 years 

• 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 your child to 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 toothbrushing as fun as possible by using a timer.

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.