Guide to Looking after your Child’s Teeth

Dental, Maxillofacial and Cleft Department

Download leaflet

Looking After Your Child's Teeth Leaflet PIAG 15 (540kB)

5 Top tips to look after your child’s teeth

• Start brushing and getting used to toothpaste as their first tooth starts to come through around 6 months old.
• When they get their first tooth, start to encourage your child to drink from a free-flowing cup or open top cup, so that bottle use does not continue past their first birthday.
• Teeth should be brushed twice a day for 2 minutes with fluoride toothpaste including last thing at night before bed.
• After brushing teeth, spit don’t rinse.
• Continue regular appointments with the dentists, the time between appointments should never be more than 12 months.

Why is it important to look after baby teeth?

Milk teeth have an important role to play as they hold space for the second teeth to descend into. Because the enamel is thin, baby teeth are more likely to be affected by decay and erosion if exposed to too much sugar or acidic drinks. This can lead to tooth ache and infection and sometimes require a general anaesthetic to remove the affected teeth.

Age related information about tooth brushing

• Babies aged 0-2 years old
  • Start brushing your baby’s teeth when the first tooth starts to erupt (around 6months old). Use a smear of fluoride toothpaste (minimum 1000ppm). You can also use adult toothpaste if your teeth are at higher risk of decay (1450ppm), but please seek advice from your dentist first. Parents or carers should brush their child’s teeth.

• Children aged 3 – 5 years old
  • Use a pea size amount of fluoride toothpaste, minimum of 1450ppm* (adult toothpaste). Parents or carers should brush their child’s teeth. This is best undertaken in front of a mirror so that your child can see how you are brushing. Consider using a toothbrushing chart each time their teeth are brushed as a reminder. They may also enjoy the Hey Duggee Toothbrushing episode.

• Children aged 6 – 9 years old
  • Adults should continue to supervise tooth brushing until their child can brush effectively alone. Consider the use of brushing charts or brushing ‘apps’ on a mobile phone / tablet to aid and encourage tooth brushing. Consider using a mouthwash at different times to brushing teeth.

• Children aged 10 and over
  • Consider the use of disclosing tablets to show any plaque on teeth. Use a pea size amount of fluoride toothpaste, minimum of 1450ppm* (adult toothpaste). If your child’s teeth are at high risk of decay, they may be prescribed a higher fluoride toothpaste by your dentist

Dietary information for your child: From birth

• Do replace your baby’s bottle with a free flow feed cup by the time your baby is six months of age.
• Do ensure grandparents / carers / family members are also well informed and involved in healthy eating.
• Do encourage your child to drink from a free-flowing cup or open top cup from the age of 6 months. Although breasts milk or infant formula milk meet all your babies nutritional needs for the first 6 months of their life, regular or demand feeding can cause decay in the baby teeth.
• Do not use fruit juices, sweetened milk, sweetened drink, or soy formula milk in feeding bottles.
• Do not give your baby anything to eat or drink after brushing their teeth at night.

Dietary information for your child: Age 1 year old and over

• Do restrict sugar to no more than four times per day (meal times).
• Do give your child water or milk to drink between meals (this includes semi-skimmed milk).
• Do give your child sugar-free snacks only.
• Do be aware of hidden sugars in food.
• Do be aware of acid content of drinks.
• Do read the label on foods / drinks. No added sugar does not mean ‘sugar free’.
• Do not use a bottle or breastfeed on demand.
• Do not give your child a dummy which has a drink or something sweet in it
• Do not give your child anything to eat or drink after brushing their teeth at night before they go to sleep apart from plain still water.

It’s also recommended that parents shouldn’t “clean” their babies’ dummies or bottles by putting them in their own mouths. You could pass on bacteria to your child which would otherwise not be present in their mouths.

The Eatwell Plate

You can find more information about the Eatwell Plate on the NHS website.

Dental visits (at least one every 12 months)

• Age 0+ – Take you child for a dental visit as soon as their first tooth comes through their gums, so they will get used to the new setting. This should be before their 1st Birthday.
• Age 3+ – Your child can expect to have fluoride varnish application on their teeth at every dental visit. When they get their permanent molar teeth, they should be ‘fissure sealed’ if cooperation allows.
• Age 10+ – Your dentist may consider an orthodontic referral for further treatment. Your dentist may prescribe higher fluoride toothpaste if your child has a high risk of decay.
• All Ages – Visit the dentist at least every six months

General Information: when to expect teeth to come through (erupt) through a child’s gum

• New / erupting baby teeth. There are usually 20 baby teeth in total.
  • At age 0-1 year old: Front teeth should appear.
  • At age 1-2 years old: Side teeth should appear.
  • At age 2-3 years old: Back teeth should appear.

• New / erupting adult teeth. Adults normally have 32 permanent teeth.
  • At age 5-6 years old: New adult molar (back teeth) will erupt.
  • At age 6-9 years old: Front teeth will be replaced by new adult teeth.
  • At age 9-12 years old: Wobbly canine teeth will be replaced by adult teeth.
  • At age 10-13 years old: Wobbly side teeth will be replaced by premolar teeth and new second molar teeth.

Who to contact for further details

Dental Team (Ext: 2258) Monday to Friday 9am-5pm. Out of hours contact switchboard for advice.

0151 252 5258 (Dental)

0151 293 3685 & 0151 252 5209 (Cleft & cleft orthodontics)

0151 252 5563 (Maxfax, oral surgery & non-cleft orthodontics)

References

SDCEP Prevention and Management of Dental Caries in Children, 2018
Department of Health: Delivering Better Oral Health: An Evidence-Based Toolkit for Prevention, 2017.

https://dentalcheckbyone.co.uk/
http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Goodfood/Pages/sugars.aspx
https://www.bda.org/sugar
http://www.denplan.co.uk/my-teeth/childrens-teeth/activities-for-kids
https://www.bspd.co.uk/Resources

This leaflet only gives general information. You must always discuss the individual treatment of your child with the appropriate member of staff. Do not rely on this leaflet alone for information about your child’s treatment.

This information can be made available in other languages and formats if requested.

PIAG: 15