Text alternative: Healthy mouths for kids under 5

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 your child eats.
  
• 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.