Brush Day + Night

What’s going on?

Teething

A baby’s first set of teeth normally appear in the mouth sometime between five and eight months after birth, although it can be as late as 12 months. Teeth will continue to appear until the child is around three years old and all 20 milk (primary) teeth are in place.

Teething can make your baby’s gums inflamed and sore as the teeth push through. You might notice your baby is more bad-tempered than usual, or has trouble sleeping. He or she might start to chew on their toys or fingers and dribble more than usual. However, if your child has a fever or is nauseous, do not assume this is down to teething and make sure you take them to the doctor.

If your baby seems uncomfortable or in pain, there are ways you can help. To soothe your baby, try giving him or her something safe to bite on such as a teething ring (preferably cooled in the fridge first). You can also clean your baby’s mouth several times a day with a clean, damp gauze pad to help limit bacteria around the swollen gums and new teeth.

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Common problems

• Baby Bottle Syndrome is a destructive pattern of tooth decay that can occur in babies and young children. It is caused when a child’s teeth are regularly exposed to sugary liquids for long periods, such as juice or milk (even breast milk). In particular, problems arise when children are allowed to fall asleep with a bottle of milk or juice. The teeth are then bathed in the liquid overnight, allowing the decay-causing bacteria on the teeth to feast all night long. The best solution to this is not to use a feeding bottle as a pacifier or allow children to go to bed with anything but water in a bottle. For the same reason you should also avoid giving your baby a pacifier that has been dipped in anything sweet.
  

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• Pacifiers and thumb-sucking, provided their use is limited, should not pose a problem for the first few years of a child’s life before the permanent teeth erupt. Sucking is a basic and natural instinct of babies and most health practitioners agree that it should not cause a problem, provided the pacifier is kept clean, free from cracks, is designed not to cause airway obstruction and is never tied around your child’s neck. However, the longer a child sucks on a pacifier or finger, the more likely that it could cause problems in the development of their adult teeth, and might push them out of position. If you are concerned about your child’s sucking habits, you should consult your dentist or doctor.

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What can I do?

It can often be confusing to know exactly what you should be doing for your baby’s oral health and when you should be doing it. Starting a good oral health regime early will set your children up for life and give them the best chance of having healthy teeth and gums into old age.

Oral hygiene

You should start to clean your baby’s teeth and gums as soon as the first teeth start to show. Not only does this remove food debris and bacteria, but it also helps to establish tooth brushing as a normal part of your child’s daily routine.

• Gently clean your baby’s teeth and gums morning and night, using a moist gauze, soft, moist cloth or soft baby toothbrush. Firmly wipe away liquid and food debris, paying particular attention before bedtime to ensure the teeth are not left dirty overnight (see above: Baby Bottle Syndrome).
  
  
• With babies and young children, it is often easier to clean their teeth from behind, with the child’s head in your lap. You can make a game of looking at each other’s face upside down.
  
  
• Before the age of two, a toothbrush is not strictly necessary. Once your child’s back teeth have come through, however, you should ensure you are using a soft baby toothbrush to keep them clean. This will also help your baby get used to having a toothbrush in his or her mouth, meaning you are less likely to have problems brushing their teeth later on.
  
  
• If appropriate, take your child to visit your local dental health practitioner as soon as possible, preferably around the age of one, so that they can assess your child’s emerging teeth and give you more information about how best to care for them.

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Diet recommendations

Healthy eating habits can help to maintain healthy teeth and gums.

• Don’t put anything apart from milk or water into your baby’s bottle. Juice, or even weak squash, is acidic and sugary, which can damage your child’s teeth.
  
  
• Be a role model – babies don’t know about sweets and fizzy drinks; they learn from people around them. Chances are that if you eat well yourself, your children will copy you.
  
  
• Of course, it is impossible (and very boring!) to avoid all potentially damaging foods; balance is the key. Enjoy treats as part of your meals, not in between, and limit the worst offenders such as sticky, sugary foods. Most children need snacks to meet their nutritional needs as they grow, but you should try to avoid them grazing all day long. When your child is old enough, ensure you give him or her nutritious and healthy snacks such as vegetables, yoghurt and fruits, which are also better for their oral health. In particular, dairy products contain calcium, which is essential for building strong teeth.

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Common problems

Tooth decay

• Your child's teeth are vulnerable to decay (particularly if the child is eating sweet and sticky food), as the enamel on milk teeth is not as hard as it is on adult teeth.
  
  
• If you are keeping your child’s teeth clean by twice daily brushing with fluoride toothpaste they are far less likely to suffer tooth decay. However, if you think your child might have tooth decay (e.g. you can see stains on the teeth) or if he or she is in any pain, you should take him or her to visit your local dental practitioner if possible.
  
  
• Tooth decay and disease present in primary teeth can be passed on to the permanent teeth as they erupt.
  
  
• Primary molars remain in the mouth until around 10 to 12 years, with lots of opportunity to pass decay on to their new permanent neighbours.
  
  
• If it spreads to the root, an infection in a primary tooth can actually damage the permanent tooth lying directly underneath.

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Thumb-sucking

• If your child is still sucking his or her thumb towards the end of this period, you may want to think about gently persuading them to stop. This can be tricky, so try not to make it too traumatic. You could start by drawing attention to the habit and help them stop when they are ready to do so. If your child is regularly sucking his or her thumb when the permanent teeth come through, it can sometimes cause problems with tooth positioning. Seek advice from a dental health professional if you are worried about this.

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Oral hygiene stumbling blocks

My child won’t let me brush his or her teeth.

If your child doesn’t like having his or her teeth brushed, you’re not alone. The following tips might help:

• Make it less of a battle by inventing games around tooth brushing. Check out the Hints and Tips section of the site for examples of this.
  
  
• Brush your teeth with your child so that they can see you do it too.
  
  
• Explain gently to your child what you’re doing and why. Give reasons that will make sense to your child and appeal to them – super-strong teeth can be exciting to children obsessed with superheroes!
  
  
• Make sure that brushing is a regular part of your child’s routine, not something that stops and starts. Why not try our Brushing Contract and Toothometer to encourage the twice daily brushing routine?

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My child hates the taste of toothpaste

• Make sure you are using toothpaste specifically designed for children. These generally have a more gentle taste to appeal to children.
  
  
• If your child doesn’t like the taste of your normal toothpaste, try shopping around for different flavours to tempt them. If that doesn’t work, you could try brushing their teeth with water, but reintroduce toothpaste as soon as possible, as the fluoride it contains is vital for strengthening teeth.
  
  
• Don’t despair: some children just take a while to get used to it – seeing a sibling, cousin or friend around the similar age enjoying the toothpaste can sometimes be enough to make it taste better!

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What can I do?

Oral hygiene

The most important thing you can do is brush your child’s teeth at least twice a day with fluoride toothpaste: in the morning and last thing before bed.

• By this age, children are generally able to grasp their own toothbrush and participate in brushing. However, they don’t have the dexterity to clean their teeth effectively, so will still need your help.
  
  
• You can help your child with a small soft toothbrush specifically designed for children, as they have a smaller head to fit in your child’s mouth.
  
  
• It is best to use toothpaste specifically designed for children as it contains the appropriate amount of fluoride and will have an appealing, gentle taste. Use no more than a pea-sized amount of toothpaste.
  
  
• Get your child to help clean their own teeth and explain to them what you are doing. You should ensure, however, that you also clean them thoroughly.
  
  
• Clean the teeth gently but firmly, and don’t forget to brush the gums.
  
  
• You can also use your child’s toothbrush to clean their tongue. Lots of plaque and bacteria live on the tongue, so it is well worth gently brushing it on a regular basis.
  
  
• Speak to your local dental health practitioner for more information on how best to keep your child’s teeth clean.

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Diet recommendations

Healthy eating habits can help to maintain healthy teeth and gums.

• Be a role model – children don’t automatically want sweets and fizzy drinks; they learn from people around them. Chances are that if you eat well yourself, your children will copy you.
  
  
• Of course, it is impossible (and very boring!) to avoid all potentially damaging foods: balance is the key. Enjoy treats as part of your meals, not in between, and limit the worst offenders such as sticky, sugary foods and fizzy drinks.

• Most children need snacks to meet their nutritional needs as they grow, but you should try to avoid them grazing all day long. When your child is old enough, ensure you give him or her nutritious and healthy snacks such as vegetables, yoghurt and fruits, which are also better for their oral health. In particular, dairy products contain calcium, which is essential for building strong teeth.

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Common problems

Tooth decay

• It is particularly vital to keep the mouth clean and healthy during this stage. The irregular mix of primary and permanent teeth in the mouth makes children’s teeth particularly vulnerable. Decay is more likely if the child is eating sweet and sticky foods.
  
  
• If your child is keeping his or her teeth clean by twice daily brushing with fluoride toothpaste they are far less likely to suffer tooth decay. However, if you think your child might have tooth decay (e.g. you can see stains on the teeth) or if he or she is in any pain, you should take him or her to visit your local dental practitioner if possible.
  
  
• Tooth decay and disease present in primary teeth can be passed on to the permanent teeth as they erupt. Primary molars remain in the mouth until around 10 to 12 years of age, with lots of opportunity to pass decay on to their new permanent neighbours.
  
  
• If it spreads to the root, an infection in a primary tooth can damage the permanent tooth lying directly underneath.

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Oral hygiene stumbling blocks

My child won’t brush his or her teeth:

If your child doesn’t like brushing his or her teeth, the following tips might help:

• Make it less of a battle by inventing games around tooth brushing. See the Hints and Tips section for more ideas.
  
  
• Brush your teeth with your child so that they can see you do it too.
  
  
• Explain gently to your child why it’s so important to brush their teeth, with reasons they can relate to, according to their age. Super-strong teeth can be motivating for six-year-olds keen on superheroes, while an attractive appearance and fresh breath may be more important to older children who are becoming more aware of themselves.
  
  
• Make sure that tooth brushing is a regular part of your child’s routine, not something that stops and starts. Why not try our Brushing Contract and Toothometer to encourage the brushing twice daily routine?

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My child hates the taste of toothpaste

• If your child doesn’t like the taste of your normal toothpaste, try shopping around for different flavours to tempt them. The fluoride in toothpaste plays a vital role in strengthening teeth and is particularly important as your child’s permanent teeth start to arrive.

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What can I do?

Oral hygiene

The most important thing is to ensure that your children brush their teeth at least twice a day with fluoride toothpaste – once in the morning and again last thing before bed.

• By this age, children are capable of brushing on their own. Although you might not be brushing their teeth, they still need your help to establish the brushing twice daily habit for life.
  
  
• You should encourage your children to brush their teeth morning and night, as it is particularly vital to keep the mouth clean and healthy during this stage. The irregular mix of primary and permanent teeth in the mouth makes children’s teeth vulnerable. Decay is more likely if the child is eating sweet and sticky foods.
  
  
• Use a toothbrush especially designed for children as they will have a smaller head to fit in a child’s mouth.
  
  
• Use a normal-sized amount of toothpaste. You can now use an adult toothpaste; however, if your child doesn’t like the taste of adult toothpaste, you can use toothpaste designed specifically for children of this age as this will not only contain the appropriate amount of fluoride but also have an appealing gentle taste.
  
  
• Explain to your child how to clean their teeth and why it’s important that they do it regularly. You should check that they are doing a thorough job and might suggest using plaque disclosing tablets to show them the areas they are missing.
  
  
• Help your child to clean their teeth gently but firmly, and don’t to forget to brush the gums.
  
  
• Help your child to move around the mouth systematically. Start with the last tooth and move towards the front teeth brushing first the outside, then the inside tooth surfaces. They should work their way through the mouth quarter-by-quarter.
  
  
• Remind them to brush the biting surfaces of the teeth, as these can be particularly vulnerable to decay – it’s difficult to keep these clean when tooth sizes are uneven.
  
  
• You should also encourage your child to use their toothbrush to clean their tongue. Lots of plaque and bacteria live on the tongue, so it is well worth gently brushing the tongue on a regular basis.
  
  
• Speak to your local dental health practitioner for more information on how best to keep your child’s teeth clean.

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Diet recommendations

Healthy eating habits can help to maintain healthy teeth and gums.

• Be a role model – children may want to eat the same things as their friends, but you can still be a good influence. Chances are that if you eat well at home, your children will learn to think of this as ’normal’.
  
  
• Of course, it is impossible (and very boring!) to avoid all potentially damaging foods: balance is the key. Enjoy treats as part of your meals, not in between, and limit the worst offenders such as sticky, sugary foods and fizzy drinks.
  
  
• Most children need snacks to meet their nutritional needs as they grow, but you should try to avoid them grazing all day long. When your child is old enough, ensure you give him or her nutritious and healthy snacks such as vegetables, yoghurt and fruits, which are also better for their oral health. In particular, dairy products contain calcium, which is essential for building strong teeth.
  
  
• Your child will often be eating away from home, particularly during the day. Explain to your child why it’s important not to eat and drink too many foods and liquids that could damage their oral health, and to brush their teeth at least twice a day, so that they can have healthy teeth and gums.

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What’s going on?

• The last primary tooth is usually lost by the age of 12, so from this point on children will only have their permanent, adult teeth.
  
  
• By the age of 14 children should have 28 of their 32 permanent teeth.
  
  
• The final four teeth (also known as wisdom teeth) may come through some time between the ages of 18 and 25 (if at all).

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Common problems

Tooth decay

• If your child keeps his or her teeth clean by brushing twice daily with fluoride toothpaste they are far less likely to suffer tooth decay. However, if you think your child might have tooth decay, (e.g. you can see stains on the teeth) or if he or she is in any pain, you should take him or her to visit your local dental practitioner, if possible.

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Crooked teeth and orthodontics

• Crooked teeth can lead to problems and many teenagers undergo orthodontic treatment (e.g. wearing braces).
  
  
• If your child already has braces, it is absolutely vital they have a thorough cleaning routine. Braces can trap bits of food and debris, making decay more likely. Your orthodontist or dentist will be able to advise you on specific brushes and tools to help keep your child’s teeth and gums clean and healthy while wearing a brace.
  
  
• Consult your local dental practitioner for more information about orthodontics.

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Wisdom teeth

• Wisdom teeth are the final set of four molars, which come through into the very back of the mouth sometime in the late teens or early twenties.
  
  
• Wisdom teeth can cause problems; for example, if the jaw isn’t large enough to accommodate the teeth. They can become impacted (unable to erupt properly) or even grow sideways.
  
  
• Another problem can occur when the wisdom teeth only partially erupt, leaving an opening in the gum which is vulnerable to infection. This is why it’s very important to keep the space around the wisdom teeth clean.
  
  
• If possible, you should take your child to a dentist in their mid or late teens to check on the position of their wisdom teeth. This is even more important if they start to feel any pain in that area of the mouth.

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Smoking

• Many teenagers experiment with smoking, which is obviously bad for their general health – but did you know that it’s also damaging to their oral health?
  
  
• Smoking can worsen gum disease, cause gums to recede and increase the risk of oral cancer. It can also stain teeth, cause bad breath and loss of taste and smell.
  
  
• Nagging won’t work, but there’s hope. The effects of smoking on dental appearance and bad breath can sometimes be more of an incentive to stop a teenager smoking than the long-term health damage, as dating and an active social life may be more important at this age.
  
  
• Your doctor and dentist may be able to help you support your child to stop smoking.

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What can I do?

Oral hygiene

The most important thing you can do is ensure your child brushes his or her teeth at least twice a day with fluoride toothpaste: in the morning and again last thing at night before bed.

Teenagers should be brushing their teeth unaided and without adult supervision, although it may be worth checking in every now and then to ensure they have done the job properly – particularly if they have orthodontic braces.

• You should encourage your child to brush their teeth with an adult-sized toothbrush at least twice a day: once in the morning and once just before bed.
  
  
• Use a normal-sized amount of adult fluoride toothpaste.
  
  
• Explain to your child how to clean their teeth and why it is important that they do it regularly. You should check that they are doing a thorough job, and might suggest they sometimes use plaque disclosing tablets to show them any areas they might be missing.
  
  
• Remind your child to clean their teeth gently but firmly and to brush their gums too!
  
  
• Watch your child brush around the mouth systematically. Start with the last tooth and move towards the front teeth brushing first the outside, then the inside tooth surfaces. They should work their way through the mouth quarter-by-quarter. Remind them to brush the biting surfaces of the teeth, as these can be particularly vulnerable to decay. It takes a long time to clean around all the tooth surfaces – set a timer for two minutes and see how close they get!
  
  
• You should also encourage your child to use their toothbrush to clean their tongue. Lots of plaque and bacteria live on the tongue, so it is well worth gently brushing the tongue on a regular basis.
  
  
• Speak to your local dental health practitioner for more information on how your child should be keeping their teeth clean.

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Diet recommendations

Healthy eating habits can help to maintain healthy teeth and gums.

• Teenagers are becoming more independent and want to eat whatever they like – fighting with them over diet may seem doomed to failure. However, there are some things you can do to steer them in the right direction.
  
  

• Keep a store of healthy, nutritious snacks such as vegetables, yoghurt and fruits in the house and make them more easily accessible than any sweets, crisps and fizzy drinks.
  
  
• Teach them to cook simple, healthy foods that they like, so they can feel good about feeding themselves.
  
  
• Explain why it’s important to protect their oral health and that snacking on sticky, sugary or acidic food or drink between meals can be damaging. Encourage them to give their teeth ’recovery time‘ between meals to stay healthy. And explain why they should brush their teeth at least twice a day, so they can make the right choices for healthy teeth and gums.

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