Healthy teeth are important for general health and speech development. Early detection on dental disease and prevent destruction of the other teeth. Most dental problems can be prevented if identified early.
Make sure your child sees the dentist by their first birthday and continues their 6 monthly check up for oral health risk assessments
Bottles and dummies and Teething
- Only put breast milk, formula or water in your baby’s bottle.
- Sending your baby to bed with a bottle can cause tooth decay.
- If your baby is uncomfortable when they are teething, give them a teething ring or a cold wash cloth to chew on.
- If there are symptoms you are not sure of, ask a doctor.
Food and Drinks
- Leave food for babies unsweetened.
- Between meals and before bed, boiled and cooled (until 12 months) tap water is the best to drink.
- From around 6 months offer healthy foods for meals and snacks.
Tips for Tooth brushing
- As soon as your child’s first teeth start to appear, clean them using a child’s sized tooth brush, without toothpaste.
- From around 18 months old, clean your child’s teeth with a pea sized amount of children’s toothpaste that is low in fluoride. Your child should not swallow but spit out the toothpaste and not rinse.
- Adults should apply toothpaste for children under the age of 6.
- Watch for white or brown spots that don’t go away by brushing. This could be early signs of tooth decay. See a professional as soon as possible.
- Make sure your child sees the dentist by their first birthday and continues their 6 monthly check up for oral health risk assessments.