1. Brushing

Plaque is a build up of bacteria on the teeth and if not regularly removed may cause tooth decay, gum disease and even tooth loss. Start to brush your baby’s teeth once the first tooth appears. Encourage your toddler to start toothbrushing at an early age also but always make sure that you still clean his/her teeth twice a day as well.

Brush for a full two minutes. Brushing your child’s teeth at night time is particularly important. Children can generally brush their teeth by about 8 years of age but continue to supervise their toothbrushing. You can check how well your child is brushing by using disclosing tablets which show the areas where plaque has been left.2. Fluoride

Fluoride is very important to prevent tooth decay. Use a toothpaste with approximately 1000 ppm / 1100 ppm of fluoride for your child and always make sure that you dispense a small pea-sized amount on your child’s toothbrush. Your child should spit the toothpaste out and should not rinse his/her mouth after brushing. He/ she should avoid swallowing the toothpaste as too much fluoride can be harmful.

3. Diet advice

When plaque reacts with sugar in the mouth, it produces harmful acids that are the main cause of dental problems. The more sugar in your child’s diet, and more importantly, the more often sugar is in the mouth, the greater the opportunity for the bacteria to produce acids that cause tooth decay. Stop bottle and breast feeding your infant by 12 months of age. Never put sweet liquids such as juice in your infant’s bottle or in a feeding cup.

Avoid sugary snacks (e.g. sweets, chocolates, dried fruits, biscuits) and sugary drinks (e.g. fruit juice, soft drinks and fizzy drinks) between meals and bedtime. If your child is thirsty between meals, give him / her pain water. Use sugar-free medicines where appropriate.

4. Fissure sealants


There is generally spacing between your infant and toddler’s teeth when they first appear in the mouth. These gaps tend to close between the molars after the first few years. Flossing can help to clean the surfaces between teeth which a toothbrush cannot reach. Decay can begin between the teeth but flossing may prevent this. The use a flossette may help to make flossing your child’s teeth easier. Generally, your child will need help with flossing until their teens.

6. Prevention of Trauma

More than a third of all children experience injury to their front teeth by their teenage years. If your child damages his/her front teeth, contact your dentist or a paediatric dentist immediately to get advice about what to do.

Make sure that if your child plays contact sports (eg. football, rugby, baseball, etc.) that you ask your paediatric dentist about making a mouthguard for your child. If your child’s upper front teeth are very prominent, your paediatric dentist may refer your child to an orthodontist so that braces can be considered to straighten your child’s teeth.7. Regular dental check-ups