The Importance of Oral Health
Looking after your child's teeth.
From brushing their first tooth to their first trip to the debtist, here's how to take care of your child's teeth.
A regular teeth-cleaning routine is essential for good dental health.
Children up to 3 years
- Start brushing your baby's teeth as soon as the first milk tooth breaks through (usually around 6 months, but it can be earlier or later).
- Parents or carers should brush the teeth for the child.
- Brush teeth twice daily for about 2 minutes with flouride touthpaste (see more information below).
- Brush last thing at night before bed and on 1 other occasion.
- Make sure children don't eat or lick the toothpaste from the tube.
Children aged 3 to 6 years
- Brush at least twice a daily for 2 minutes with flouride toothpaste.
- Brush last thing at night before bed and at least on 1 other occasion.
- Use only a pea sized amount of toothpaste.
- Spit out after brushing and don't rinse- it you rinse the flouride won't work as well.
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 around 2 minutes.
- Don't let children run around with a toothbrush in their mouth as they may have an accident and hurt themselves.
Taking your child to the dentist
- NHS dental care for children is free.
- Take your child to the dentist when their first milk teeth appear. This is so they become familiar with the environment and can get to know the dentist. The dentist can advise you on how to prevent tooth decay and identify any oral health problems at an early stage. Just opening up the child's mouth for the dentist to take a look at is useful practice for the future.
- When you visit the dentist, be positive about it and make the trip fun. This will stop your child worrying about future visits.
Please follow this link if you need to find a dentist for your child: Find a dentist - NHS (www.nhs.uk)
What type of toothpaste should I use?
It's important to use a toothpaste with the right concentration of fluoride.
Check the packaging to find out how much fluoride each brand contains. 
- Adults should use a toothpaste that contains at least 1,350 parts per million (ppm) fluoride.
- Children don't need to use special children's toothpaste. Children of all ages can use family toothpaste, as long as it contains 1,350 to 1,500ppm fluoride. Children aged 3 and under who don't have tooth decay can use a lower strength children's toothpaste, but make sure it contains at least 1,000ppm fluoride.
- Children under the age of 3 should use just a smear of toothpaste. Children aged 3 to 6 years should use a pea-sized blob of toothpaste. Make sure children don't lick or eat toothpaste from the tube.
Resources to support the promotion of oral health
Public Health England have developed a quick guide to a healthy mouth in children and a toolkit for prevention to help prevent tooth decay. 
Further information about childhood oral health and early years foundation stage, can be found on the EYFS oral health information page.