Education

How Can I Help My Child?

Parents play a vital role in helping their children maintain healthy teeth and gums. Establishing healthy habits from early childhood is extremely important. Give your child the best start in life by following our healthy mouth guide.

Tooth Decay

Tooth decay remains the single most chronic childhood disease.

Tooth decay is the breakdown of tooth tissue caused by poor brushing habits and poor dietary choices. If left untreated tooth decay results in severe pain and suffering. Recent research has found more than one in every 4 Australian children aged 5-10 years, have untreated tooth decay. Thousands of children are hospitalised each year for preventable dental conditions. It’s time to educate our nation and change these statistics.

Healthy Brushing

Good brushing habits start at a young age. Start cleaning your child’s teeth as soon as the first teeth appear. Do not use any toothpaste until they are 18 months old. From 18 months old, brush twice a day using a smear of low fluoride children’s toothpaste, increasing to a pea sized amount as they near 4 years of age. From 6 years old children should be using a standard strength toothpaste. Assist your child with their brushing until they are around 8 years of age.

Encourage children to spit out excess toothpaste after brushing without rinsing. This will allow the fluoride in the toothpaste to have a greater effect on the teeth.

Diet

Encourage your child to eat everyday foods that will help their bodies grow and develop. Everyday foods include fruit, vegetables, bread, grains and beans and pulses. Avoid sugary foods and drinks like lollies, cakes, biscuits and juices, save these sometimes treats for special occasions and limit to mealtimes.

Drink Tap Water

Tap water contains Fluoride. Fluoride helps to strengthen teeth against tooth decay. Drinking plenty of water helps keep teeth & bodies healthy and strong. Water can also help wash food away from teeth if there isn’t time to brush after a snack.

See A Dentist

The importance of regular dental visits cannot be highlighted enough. Dentists are trained to diagnose and treat dental disease as well as provide preventative advice and treatments. Regular dental visits will help your child maintain healthy teeth and gums for life.