Guide to Taking Care of Children’s Teeth

A regular teeth-cleaning routine is essential for good dental health. From brushing their first tooth to their first trip to the dentist, here's how to take care of your children's teeth.

Toothbrushing tips

It's important to use a fluoride toothpaste, as this helps prevent and control tooth decay.

Children aged 12 months to 3 years

• Start brushing your baby's teeth as soon as the first milk tooth breaks through (usually at around 6 months, but it can be earlier or later).
• Parents or carers should brush the teeth.
• Brush teeth twice daily for about 2 minutes with fluoride toothpaste.
• Brush last thing at night before bed and on 1 other occasion.
• Use children's fluoride toothpaste containing no less than 1,000ppm of fluoride (check label) unless a dentist advises family toothpaste containing between 1,350ppm and 1,500ppm fluoride.
• Use only a smear of toothpaste.
• Make sure children don't eat or lick toothpaste from the tube.

* Do you know Chicco toothpaste is completely safe if accidentally consumed? It's common for babies to ingest toothpaste on the onset of their journey of oral care hygiene, thus, Chicco kids toothpaste is completely safe if accidently swallowed. It contains no harmful chemicals like paraben & is free of sulphate.

 Check out our range of toothbrush and toothpaste here.

Children aged 3 to 6 years

• Brush at least twice daily for about 2 minutes with fluoride toothpaste.
• Brush last thing at night before bed and at least on 1 other occasion.
• Parents or carers should brush the teeth.
• Use children's fluoride toothpaste containing no less than 1,000ppm of fluoride (check label) unless a dentist advises family toothpaste containing between 1,350ppm and 1,500ppm fluoride.
• Use only a pea-sized amount of toothpaste.
• Spit out after brushing and don't rinse – if you rinse, the fluoride won't work as well.

Children aged 7 and over

• Brush at least twice daily for about 2 minutes with fluoride toothpaste.
• Brush last thing at night before bed and at least on 1 other occasion.
• Use fluoride toothpaste containing between 1,350ppm and 1,500ppm of fluoride (check label).
• Spit out after brushing and don't rinse – if you rinse, the fluoride won't work as well.
• Children aged 7 and over should be able to brush their own teeth, but it's still a good idea to watch them to make sure they brush properly and for about 2 minutes.

How to help children 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 tooth brushing as fun as possible by using an egg timer to time it for about 2 minutes.
• Don't let children run around with a toothbrush in their mouth, as they may have an accident and hurt themselves.

Source: NHS UK

Disclaimer:

Unauthorised reproduction, copying, or distribution of this article or any portion thereof is prohibited. If you wish to reshare or reproduce any part of this article, please provide a backlink to this page and credit the author.