There are a few easy things you can do to help protect your child’s teeth and gums and reduce the risk of tooth decay.

Reduce the amount of sugar in your child’s food and drink. Every time we have something sugary, the bacteria in the dental plaque in the mouth will produce acid that will attack the teeth. The more often we have sugary foods and drinks, the more ‘acid attacks’ we will have and this causes teeth to decay.

As soon as you see that first little tooth appear, brush twice a day:

Use a fluoride toothpaste containing 1350-1500ppm fluoride (you can find this on the side of the tube)
If your child is under 3 years, just use a smear of toothpaste, but if they are 3-6 years use a pea sized amount of toothpaste
Brush their teeth or supervise them brushing their own until they are at least 7 years old to make sure that they’re doing it well
All the surfaces need to be cleaned, making sure that the gum line is cleaned as this is where a lot of the plaque forms
Choose a toothbrush with a small head and medium texture bristles
Brush for at least 2 minutes
When you’ve finished brushing, encourage them to spit out the toothpaste, but don’t rinse with water, as this will rinse away the fluoride
Always brush your child’s teeth at bedtime as this will protect their teeth while they’re sleeping
Start taking your little one to the dentist as early as possible! Take them along with you for your check-ups to get them used to the experience and environment so that it’s familiar to them. Once their first tooth has appeared, take them to see the dentist and then take them every 6 months. When your child is 3, you can ask your dentist about a fluoride varnish, which is a coating that can be applied to protect their teeth. Remember, dental treatment is free for children (and mothers from the start of pregnancy until your child is one year old).