Children's Dental Health

Put a smile on your face with our simple guide to brushing your teeth.

The guide below offers information about how you can support your two year old with teeth brushing, what toothpaste you should use, how you can help them to prevent problems with their teeth and how often you should visit the dentist with them.

Early years settings and primary schools tooth brushing programmes are a key priority in the Oral Health Promotion Strategy for Suffolk. Reviews show that daily application of fluoride toothpaste to teeth reduces the incidence and severity of tooth decay in children. Keep Suffolk Smiling is a supervised toothbrushing scheme that has been piloted in selected early years settings and schools in Suffolk since 2017 in order to improve oral health, reduce oral health inequalities and lay solid foundations for good oral health throughout life.

• Start brushing your baby's teeth with fluoride toothpaste as soon as the first milk tooth breaks through (usually at around six months, but it can be earlier or later). It's important to use a fluoride paste, as this helps to prevent and control tooth decay
• There's no need to buy special "children's toothpaste" brands. In fact, some of them don’t have enough fluoride in them to help prevent tooth decay
• Children from the age of seven can use family toothpaste
• Children up to the age of six who don't have tooth decay can use a lower strength toothpaste, but make sure it contains at least 1,000ppm fluoride.
• Make sure children don't eat or lick toothpaste from the tube
• Below the age of three years, children should use just a smear of toothpaste
• Children aged three to six should use a pea-sized blob of toothpaste
• Children’s toothpaste should contain 1000-1350 parts per million (ppm) of Fluoride. The family toothpaste should contain 1350-1450 ppm.

• As soon as the first milk tooth appears brush your child’s teeth with a fluoride toothpaste for about two minutes twice a day. This is usually around six months old but it can be earlier or later. It’s important to use a fluoride toothpaste, as this helps to prevent and control tooth decay.
• Try to brush your child’s teeth in the morning and just before bedtime. Encourage them to spit out the toothpaste - don’t rinse!
• Brush your child's teeth for about 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. Rinsing with water after tooth brushing will wash away the fluoride and make it less effective.
• Supervise tooth brushing until your child is seven or eight 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 about two minutes.

• 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 an egg timer to time it for about two minutes.
• Don't let children run around with a toothbrush in their mouth, as they may have an accident and hurt themselves.
• Parents should take their children to the dentist regularly. Their first check-up should have taken place by their first birthday.

Aim to register your baby with a dentist and take them before their first birthday.  Why not take them during your maternity exemption which is valid up until they are 12 months old? 

Taking your child to the dentist as early as possible helps them to get use to the sights, sounds and smells of a dental practice.

Your dentist will also be able to give you advice and support on looking after your child’s teeth.

If you are  not already registered with an NHS dentist click here to find one

Your dentist can also give advice on whether your child would benefit from extra protection such as fluoride varnishes.

Fluoride Varnishing - Ask your dentist about fluoride varnish which can be applied to your child’s teeth. It is low cost and considered safe – source: https://oralhealth.cochrane.org/oral-health-evidence

There is good evidence to support the delivery of fluoride through fluoride varnish in dental practices for the prevention of tooth decay in primary and permanent teeth.

Every time you eat or drink something sugary the chances of tooth decay increase. Instead of having sugary foods and drinks frequently, keep them to mealtimes. Examples of tooth friendly snacks and drinks between meals are

• Fresh fruit
• Fresh vegetables
• Toast (with a savoury topping)
• Breads and breadsticks
• Crackers and cheese
• Milk (plain)
• Water (plain)

The following, although generally considered healthy, are not tooth friendly, so should be kept to mealtimes only:

• Fruit smoothies
• Fruit juice
• Raisins or any dried fruit
• ‘No added sugar’ drinks

• Use an open top cup from the age of six months old. Introduce it at mealtimes starting with a small amount of water.
• Once your baby is one year old, you should stop giving a bottle with a teat. Teats can damage teeth (especially if used to give sweetened drinks)
• Aim to stop using dummies by your child’s first birthday. These can also damage teeth.
• You can offer your child fruit juice at mealtimes after six months but make sure its diluted according to instructions on the bottle or carton. This makes it less acidic and less likely to cause tooth erosion.