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Cleaning or brushing your child’s teeth helps remove the bacteria that cause decay.
- Start to clean your baby’s teeth as soon as the first tooth comes through. Use a wet cloth or a small children’s toothbrush with water.
- From 18 months to six years of age, use a small pea-sized amount of children’s low-fluoride toothpaste on a small, soft toothbrush.
- At six years of age children can use a pea-sized amount of standard fluoride toothpaste.
- If you live in an area that doesn’t have fluoride in the drinking water, ask your dentist about the right toothpaste for your child.
- Brush teeth and along the gum line twice a day; in the morning and at night before bed.
- Children will need an adult to help them brush their teeth until they can do it well by themselves (usually about eight years of age).
Dental checks can spot the early signs of tooth decay
It is recommended that children have a dental check by the time they turn two. This may be done by a dentist or other dental professional, or a health professional, such as a maternal and child health nurse or doctor.
Make sure older children continue to have check-ups. Ask your dentist or other oral health professional how often your child needs to have a dental check-up.
Chalky teeth and risk for tooth decay
About one in six children have ‘chalky teeth’. This can look like creamy-brown or very white spots (like the colour of chalk), particularly on the molars (back teeth).
Teeth can become ‘chalky’ if the enamel (tooth surface) doesn’t harden properly when the tooth is forming in the developing foetus. Because these teeth are weaker, they have a much higher risk of tooth decay.
Both the baby molars (which come through at around age two), and the permanent adult molars (which come through at around six years of age), can be affected. If you think your child might have chalky teeth, see a dentist or other oral health professional.