Toothbrushing and healthy eating is very important at this age as children will start to build their own opinions on what they like and want to eat, and they may also start to dislike toothbrushing.
Building toothbrushing into the daily routine at home is the best way to encourage your child to brush their teeth and doing this at an early age will help build the behaviours which will last them a lifetime.
Toothbrushing
These simple steps will ensure your child’s teeth stay healthy:
- Children from the age of 3 need to use a toothpaste which contains between 1350-1450 ppm fluoride (look for this on the ingredients of the packaging).
- Use a pea size amount of toothpaste on the toothbrush.
- Brush for 2 minutes
- Brush before bed and at one other time during the day.
- Make sure the toothbrush is moved all around the mouth, brushing each and every tooth.
- Children up to the age of 7 need help from an adult to brush effectively.
- Encourage them to spit out any excess toothpaste.
- Do not allow them to rinse after brushing.
Apps
There are many aids to help make toothbrushing time fun, including apps, singing toothbrushes and even brushing songs and TV programmes.
Some apps to check out include:
- Brush DJ
- Chomper Chums (Android / Apple)
- Pokemon Smile
Finding a dentist
If you do not have an NHS dentist the following will allow you to find a local dentist by entering your post code:
- England (Alternatively, call NHS England's Customer Contact Centre on 0300 311 2233. This number will take you to general enquiries, who can help.)
- Scotland
- Wales
- Northern Ireland