Dental (oral health) in Hunter New England

[Speaker]

Give children a healthy start with these tips from NSW health.

Start looking after your kids' teeth as soon as they appear in the mouth.

Get into a good routine of: 

• brushing teeth twice a day, 
• limiting sugary foods and drinks, 
• drinking fluoridated water and 
• having regular dental check-ups so kids so kids teeth and gums stay healthy for a long time.

0-18 months of age

Start a routine morning and night brushing, and here are some easy tips to get you started.

Once baby can sit in the bath use a soft cloth to gently wipe their lips and gums. If it's too hard in the bath with wiggling and moving around the change table or lying on the bed, are other good places.

As soon as your bubs 1st teeth appear brush them using a child sized soft toothbrush, but without toothpaste unless advised by your dentist. Come from behind, cradle the head with one arm and brush with the other. Use gentle circles inside and out to clean the gums and teeth and don't forget about the tongue it needs a clean too. The other routine once the 1st teeth appear or by their 1st birthday is to start regular dental checkups. Getting used to regular checkups is another keep to having healthy teeth for life.

18 months - 5 years

By 18 months, kids have most of their front baby teeth, and over the next year, the baby molars or back teeth will appear too. Baby teeth are important and should be kept healthy and clean. Start using a small pea sized amount of low fluoride children's toothpaste. It's important to start teaching them to spit out and not swallow the toothpaste, and there's no need to rinse with water after brushing as the fluoride will protect the teeth. 

Keep the morning and night brushing routine going with these fun tips:

• Get the family together it's more fun than brushing alone.
• Using a timer or brushing app. There are lots of great free ones. 
• Play a favourite song and brush until it finishes.
• Use a toothbrush chart and have rewards like playtime together.

From around 3 years old kids can do some of the toothbrushing themselves, but and adult still needs to help them brush until they are at least 8 years old.

It's important for adults to have a good look around their child's mouth every now and then. If you see any chalky white or dark spots that don't wash off, they may be a sign of tooth decay. If you find them early enough, they may be repaired with modified toothbrushing and diet. So, make a dental appointment as soon as possible.

Kid's dental health is important and starts with you.

[Speaker]

Keep your children's teeth and gums healthy with these tips from NSW Health.

Get into a good routine of brushing teeth twice a day, limiting sugary foods and drinks, drinking fluoridated water and having regular dental checkups, so kids teeth and gums stay healthy for a long time. As kids get older, they'll probably want to take more control of their brushing, which is great, but it's really important for you to keep helping until they are at least 8 years old. At 6 years of age, it's time to start using a pea sized amount of adult strength fluoride toothpaste.

How to brush teeth

How to brush is really easy:

• Using small circles brush from one side of the mouth to the other. 
• Make sure you brush every tooth on both the inside and the outside surfaces and give the gums a good brushing too.
• Gently scrub the chewing surfaces of all top and bottom teeth, reaching right back to the last tooth. 
• And don't forget the tongue it needs a good brush too. 

Keep reminding your kids to spit out and not swallow the toothpaste. And when you're all finished there's no need to rinse, as having toothpaste around in the mouth will continue to help protect your child's teeth.

With a battery or electric toothbrush, you can clean all the same places. Just move from tooth to tooth along the gum line and let the brush do the work. Around age 6 when those first adult molars come through it's time to start flossing once a day as well. There are some nifty devices to help floss kids teeth. Always use a gentle back and forth motion and slide the floss up and down in between all the teeth. Establishing good dental health habits for your kids will benefit them as they grow up.

Keeping up the morning and night brushing routine can be tricky, so try and make brushing and flossing fun. 

Here are some tips:

• Getting the family together, it's more fun than brushing along.
• Use a timer or brushing app. There are lots of great free ones.
• Play a favourite song and brush until it finishes.

As well as regular checkups it's important to have a good look around the mouth every now and then. If you see any changes to the colour of their teeth that don't brush off, they may be a sign of tooth decay. If you find them early enough, they may be repaired with modified tooth brushing and diet. So, make a dental appointment as soon as possible. 

Keeping children's teeth and gums healthy is important and starts with you.

[Dentist]

So, we have Bronte here today who's 3 years old who's come in for her checkup she comes in every year which is great, so gonna check your teeth today Bronte big smile for me, wow like a tiger good job, we can see nice healthy gums beautiful clean teeth really big for me really big, good girl you're doing great, got all your baby teeth well done. 

So when we're helping kids brush their teeth we want to make sure we clean right along the gums were pink meets white using small little circles and fluoridated toothpaste and we encourage kids that are old enough to spit out and don't rinse, and it's always good to offer tap water as well with every meal it also contains fluoride and it keeps our teeth super strong doesn't it Bronty? yes? good girl you're doing so great, you wanna big hug, oh good girl. 

Right, let me have a go, ready, you pull the lip down small little circles were pink meets white go girl Bronte, doing so well sitting so still keeping your teeth super clean and then we go to the top and you lift the lip. So it's always good to check the teeth for any white spots they're generally the first sign of decay if you do notice any white spots give us a ring and come in for a check-up. Start the other side, good girl. 

Kasey, thank you for bringing Bronte in today, she did great for her check-up her teeth are all clean and healthy. So just a few tips with brushing, make sure you help her until the age of 8 and keep encouraging fluoridised toothpaste. With snacks, avoid and sugary sticky snacks and drinks and always choose tap water and please bring her in twice a year for a checkup. You've done a great job today. 

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