Looking after Children’s Teeth

Produced by the Oral Health Promotion Department part of Buckinghamshire Priority Dental Service

Who can do the most to help prevent tooth problems?

You can

Tooth decay and gum disease can be

prevented

This session will help you understand how

Why do teeth matter?

Children need their milk teeth to: Eat

Talk

Hold space for adult teeth

Develop face shape

Smile with confidence

Support their general health

Today’s problem

Approximately 23% of 5 year olds in Buckinghamshire are affected by tooth decay *

this may became painful and require multiple extractions

treatment is often traumatic and may require a general anaesthetic

*National Dental Epidemiology Programme for England: oral health survey of five-year-old children 2012 A report on the prevalence and severity of dental decay

Dental decay

This picture shows a child who frequently snacked on foods and drinks which contained sugar during the day and at bedtime

Oral Heath is more important than you may think

– it has been linked to: Diabetes Stroke Heart Disease Lung disease Dementia Low Birth Weight Premature Birth Delayed Conception

The dentist

To find an NHS dentist in Bucks log on to www.nhschoices.nhs.uk and type ‘find a dentist’ into the search box

Take your baby with you for your check-up

Children should ideally have their first visit by about 1 year old

Free NHS dentistry for children at school and pregnant women/new mothers until baby is 1 year old

Regular check-ups are important

Tooth development

First adult tooth at about 6-7 years old

The last milk tooth falls out at about 12 years old

Tooth decay is preventable

Cleaning teeth

A tooth friendly approach to food and drink

Cleaning teeth

Tooth brushing is important for two reasons

1 – Removing Plaque

2 – Applying Fluoride

Brushing children’s teeth

Brush gums as well to prevent gum disease

Use a toothbrush with a small head

Help with brushing until your child is at least 7 years old

Brush twice a day for 2 minutes

The brush before bedtime is the most important

Tooth brushing

Try to start in the same part of the mouth each time

Angle the toothbrush towards the gums & brush gently

Clean outside, inside and biting surfaces of the teeth with a small circular motion

Why use a Fluoride toothpaste?

Fluoride acts in three ways:

It slows the growth of bacteria

It helps to strengthen the outer enamel layer of the teeth

It remineralises early decay back into tooth again

Fluoride is fantastic for your teeth but do not allow your child to eat toothpaste from the tube

Toothpaste

From 3 years old use a small pea sized amount of 1350–1500 ppm of Fluoride toothpaste (adult strength paste)

Use mint flavoured toothpaste as fruit flavoured may not contain sufficient fluoride

Spit out excess paste but don’t rinse out after brushing

Sugar + bacteria = acid

Acid + enamel = decay

How tooth decay happens

Frequency of acid attacks through the day

Fruit flavoured squash

Children will drink for the sake of it as they like the sweet taste

This can result in them feeling full and not eating their meals

Harmful to teeth even if sugar free In contrast.....

They will drink water when they are thirsty and it will quench their thirst but not affect their appetite

Remember

Limit sugary foods and drinks to main mealtimes only

What can you give them between meals?

Fresh Fruit Fresh

vegetables Bread Cheese Crackers Plain yoghurt Milk Water Any sugar free

foods

Fruit

Should be eaten in natural form only

Smoothies or fruit juice will be acidic and cause damage to the enamel

Dried fruit causes decay so should not be eaten between meals

Thank you for listening and remember......

Brush teeth and gums twice a day especially before bedtime

Use a toothpaste which provides optimum levels of fluoride

Spit don’t rinse out

Keep sugary foods and drinks to meal times

Visit your dentist regularly