Child Dental Care

As a parent, care of your own teeth and your child’s teeth will have a long lasting impact on how they treat their own dental health in the future. By teaching them the right lessons and techniques to care for their teeth you can make sure they’ll have healthy teeth that could last them for a very long time. Here, you can find out how to help your child learn to brush their teeth and what you can do to help them enjoy caring for their mouth.

You should start caring for your child’s dental health as soon as their first tooth appears. You can start with gentle brushing with a small smear of fluoride toothpaste. There is no need to use any specialised children’s toothpaste, as these often don’t contain enough fluoride. Using the right of amount of fluoride for your child is very important. For children aged 3 or below, try and only use a smear of toothpaste. For children aged 3 to 6 use a small blob.

Both you and your child should try and follow the same brushing schedule. Brushing twice a day for 2 minutes is generally speaking the best way to ensure you’re keeping your mouth healthy. Make sure that your child doesn't swallow any toothpaste, and also doesn't wash their mouth out with water. This can remove the fluoride and stop it from having as much of a positive effect. You should supervise your child with brushing their teeth until they are 7 or 8, but you should still check on them every now and then after that.

When brushing your child’s teeth, you should guide their hand whilst doing so. This teaches your child the right movements to properly brush every part of their mouth. Using a mirror can achieve similar results, letting your child see your hand movements. When you let your child brush their own teeth, make sure they don’t run around with the toothbrush still in their mouth, as this can cause a lot of harm if they trip.

You should take your child to visit the dentist as soon as they have their first tooth appear. This can help to make sure your child is familiar with the environment, and it allows them to get to know the dentist as well. It could be a useful practice to let the dentist have a look in your child’s mouth as well. You should try and be positive when going to visit the dentist, to make your child feel more at ease. Try and book regular dental visits for your child so they can have as healthy teeth as possible. Remember that child dental care is free on the NHS.

Remember that dental care doesn't just come from regular brushing and dentist visits. Watching your child’s diet is very important in the growth of their teeth. Try and reduce the amount of sugar - both from sweets and naturally occurring – as much as possible. This could include swapping fizzy drinks for water or milk. More importantly, you should try and reduce the amount of sugar your child has in-between meals. Prolonged sugar intake can cause a lot of damage to teeth. For your older children, you could try giving them sugar-free gum to help with their dental health.

Thumb sucking is something that you should encourage your child to stop, as this can actually cause long-term damage to their mouths. The action can actually cause the teeth to move, and as a result your child may need Orthodontic braces later in life, to correct their teeth. It is important to note, that you should not force your child to stop. Thumb sucking is actually a soothing and calming technique, which reduces stress and anxiety in children. Methods that you can use to stop your child from thumb sucking can include self-awareness and reassurance.

As always, if you have any concerns or questions regarding your child’s dental health, call your local Midlands Smile Centres practice and ask for a check-up with your dentist.