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Home
Oral health
Healthy Mouths Healthy Living
Text alternative: Healthy mouths for kids under 5
Healthy Mouths Healthy Living
Currently selected
Advice for pregnant women
Advice for children 0-5 years
Advice for children and young people 6-17 years
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Oral Health Care for Older People in NSW: Carer Support Package
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Oral Health Care for Older People in NSW Toolkit
Text alternative: Healthy mouths for kids under 5
Content 1
Did you know?
Baby teeth are important. They help with eating, talking and how a child looks.
Tooth decay can begin as soon as a baby gets their first tooth, at around 6 months.
Once a child gets tooth decay it can get worse quickly.
Tooth decay can cause pain and infection.
Children with tooth decay may have trouble eating, sleeping and talking.
Young children with tooth decay may need to go to hospital to have their teeth treated
What causes tooth decay?
Bacteria (germs) in the mouth feeding on the sugary drinks and starchy food you eat can damage teeth.
Putting your baby to bed with a bottle with something sweet in it like milk, formula, fruit juice, soft drink or cordial.
Constantly sipping on sugary drinks throughout the day.
Drinking fruit juice, cordials and soft drinks between meals.
Eating food like cakes, biscuits, pastries and lollies between meals.
Eating savoury snacks that stick to teeth like potato chips, puffed rice, corn crackers and crispbreads.
Not brushing teeth twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste.
How to keep teeth healthy
Brush teeth:
As soon as your baby's teeth appear, brush them morning and night with a soft toothbrush and water.
From 18 months brush your child's teeth, morning and night, with fluoride toothpaste.
Help your child brush their teeth until they are 8 years old.
Food and drinks:
Offer your child healthy snacks like cheese, vegetable sticks, fresh fruit, and plain yoghurt.
A cup can be offered at around 6 months of age.
You can offer water, expressed breast milk or infant formula from a cup.
Dental check-ups:
Have your child's teeth and gums checked at all child health visits.
Have your child's teeth checked by a dental practitioner: by their 1st birthday, on a regular basis, and before they start school.
How to brush
Use a toothbrush with soft bristles and small sized head.
Brush twice a day.
Use a fluoride toothpaste.
Spit out toothpaste but don't rinse with water.
Brush in the morning and at night before going to bed.
Use a pea-sized amount of fluoride toothpaste on a soft toothbrush.
Brush on the outside of the teeth using a circular motion. Start on one side and go all the way to the other side of the mouth.
Brush on the inside surface of every tooth making sure that you clean down to the gums.
Gently scrub the surfaces of the top and bottom teeth. Start on one side and follow all the way to the other side of the mouth.
Content 2
Current as at: Thursday 17 November 2022
Contact page owner:
Centre for Oral Health Strategy