Back to Oral Health

Oral Health for Early Years

Key Takeaways

  • Start cleaning your baby's gums even before teeth appear.
  • Schedule the first dental visit by your child's first birthday.
  • Supervise brushing until at least age 7 to ensure proper technique.
  • Be mindful of sugar in food and drinks to prevent early tooth decay.

How can I clean my baby's teeth?

From birth until teeth appear

  • Wipe your baby's gums with a clean, soft, damp cloth.
  • Do this morning and night, after feeds.

Why clean if there are no teeth?

  • Keeps gums clean and healthy.
  • Establishes a daily oral care routine.
  • Helps prevent oral thrush (a common fungal infection).

When to start brushing?

  • As soon as the first tooth appears (usually around 6 months).
  • Use a small, soft-bristled toothbrush designed for babies.
A baby smiling, showing healthy gums

Healthy Habits for Your Baby's Teeth

No Sugar in Baby Food

Don't add sugar or honey to your baby's weaning foods or drinks.

Stop Pacifier Use by 12 Months

Try to wean your baby off pacifiers by 12 months to support healthy teeth growth and speech development.

Use Cool Teething Rings

Soothe your baby's gums with cool (not frozen) teething rings. Frozen rings can be too hard and may cause harm.

Never Sweeten Pacifiers

Never dip pacifiers in honey, sugar, or other sweet substances. This can lead to severe tooth decay.

Prevent Bottle Decay

Avoid putting your baby to bed with a bottle of milk, formula, or juice. If you must use a bottle, fill it only with water.

A baby's pacifier

Common Teething Symptoms

  • Decreased appetite for solid food
  • Drooling
  • Ear-rubbing
  • Facial rash
  • Gum-rubbing
  • Increased biting
  • Irritability
  • Mild fever
  • Suckling
  • Wakefulness
  • Gingival irritation

What can you do?

  • Gently rub the gums with a clean finger.
  • Wipe away excess saliva from the face regularly to prevent rashes.
  • Offer cool, clean pacifiers or teething rings for the child to chew on. (Do not freeze them).
  • Administer sugar-free paracetamol if other methods do not provide relief.

Staying Safe

If your child becomes very unwell, has long-lasting symptoms, is unresponsive, or is in severe distress, seek urgent medical advice.

Which Brush & Toothpaste?

Fluoride Level

  • At least 1000ppm
  • 1350-1500ppm (if high risk)

Toothpaste Amount

Pea size

Brush Type

Use a brush with a small head and soft bristles.

When to Change a Toothbrush

  • Every 3 months
  • When bristles are worn out
  • After an illness

Sensitivity to Toothpastes

Some children are sensitive to certain toothpastes. If you are looking for non-fluoride, non-foaming, SLS-free, or flavorless options, always consult your dentist first.

Daily Brushing Routine

Brush 2 times a day for 2 minutes

Once at night and at one other time during the day.

2×2 min

  • Spit out the toothpaste after brushing. Don't rinse with water.
  • Avoid eating or drinking anything (except water) for 15-20 minutes after brushing.

🦷✨ Supervise Brushing

Supervise your child’s brushing until they are at least 7 years old to ensure they are cleaning their teeth effectively.

Tongue Cleaning is Important

Encourage your child to clean their tongue when they brush their teeth.

🦷✨ Interesting Fact

Did you know 2/3 of germs in your mouth live on the tongue?

Orabrush tongue cleaner

Dental Check-ups

Schedule the first dental appointment by your child's first birthday.

Dental Care by 1 campaign logo
Source: BSPD

Why Schedule Early?

Schedule your child's first dental visit by their first birthday. Early check-ups help keep their teeth healthy from the very start. Click here to learn more.

Did you know when a baby's first tooth usually appears?

🦷 Around 6 months! That's why early dental visits are so important!

What's Included

  • Dental check-ups for children are free on the NHS.
  • Regular check-ups are typically recommended twice a year.
  • Includes a dental examination and preventive advice.
  • Topical fluoride varnish may be applied to protect teeth.

Opt for Sugar-Free Medication

If your child needs medication, ask your pharmacist or doctor for sugar-free options to protect their teeth.

Healthy Habits for Happy Teeth

  • Choose water instead of juice or sugary drinks.
  • Avoid frequent snacking throughout the day.
  • Include plenty of fruits, vegetables, and dairy in their diet.

Beware of Sugar

Foods & Drinks with Sugars 🍬

Remember to REDUCE:

  • Amount (how much you eat or drink at each time)
  • Frequency (how often you have sugary foods & drinks)

Healthy Habits:

  • Limit treats to mealtime
  • Only 1-2 times per week
  • Choose healthy alternatives

Milk 🥛

Good Choices ✅

  • Regular dairy milk
  • Unsweetened non-dairy milk

Avoid ❌

  • Sweetened dairy milk
  • Sweetened non-dairy milk
  • These can cause tooth decay!

Sepsis

Sepsis is a life-threatening condition that arises when the body’s response to an infection injures its own tissues and organs, with the immune system going into overdrive.

Baby oral health

What else can I do to help my child?

Prevent injuries

  • Make home safe to prevent falls
  • Use car seats and safety gear for sports

Help kids with special needs

  • Work with your dentist to make a special plan for kids with health conditions
  • Get help early for any mouth or jaw problems
  • Team up with specialists (like speech therapists) if needed

Watch habits

  • Encourage stopping thumb-sucking or pacifier use by age 4
  • Switch from bottle to cup between 12-18 months
  • Tell your dentist if child grinds teeth often in sleep

Keep an eye on teeth coming and falling out

  • Baby teeth usually start falling out around 5-6 years old

Work with all health providers

  • Keep dentist and doctor informed about your child's health and medicines

Teach your child about mouth health

  • Make brushing fun with songs or games
  • Let your child pick their toothbrush (make sure it's soft)
  • Show good habits by taking care of your own teeth

Get your child checked by dentist if you are concerned or worried about any of the following

Developmental Conditions

  • Cleft lip and/or palate: Visible gap in lip or roof of mouth
  • Tongue-tie: Restricted tongue movement
  • Small white cysts on gums or palate (Epstein pearls, Bohn's nodules, dental lamina cysts)
  • Presence of teeth at birth or within the first month (natal/neonatal teeth)
  • Bluish-purple swelling over erupting teeth (eruption cysts)
  • Delayed tooth eruption or early loss of baby teeth
  • Misaligned teeth or jaw (malocclusion)

Genetic and Systemic Conditions

  • Down syndrome: May have delayed tooth growth, missing teeth
  • Ectodermal dysplasia: Can cause missing or oddly shaped teeth
  • Weak or discoloured tooth enamel (amelogenesis imperfecta, dentinogenesis imperfecta)
  • Ehlers-Danlos syndrome: May affect tooth and gum health
  • Heart conditions: Can impact overall health, including oral care
  • Diabetes: Childhood diabetes can increase risk of gum disease

Infectious and Inflammatory Conditions

  • Oral thrush: White patches in mouth
  • Hand, foot, and mouth disease: Painful mouth sores
  • Herpetic gingivostomatitis: Painful sores on gums and in mouth
  • Teething: Swollen, tender gums when new teeth emerge
  • Gingivitis: Red, puffy gums
  • Periodontal disease: More severe gum infection (rare in young children but possible)

Tooth Problems

  • Cavities in baby teeth
  • Chipped, broken, or knocked-out teeth from accidents
  • Tooth infection (might cause swelling or pain)

Nutritional and Systemic Health Issues

  • Vitamin deficiencies (especially C and D): Can affect gum health and tooth development
  • Iron-deficiency anemia: May make gums & tongue pale
  • Gastroesophageal reflux (GERD): Stomach acid coming up can wear down teeth over time

Neurodevelopmental and Muscular Conditions

  • Cerebral palsy, autism, epilepsy: May affect oral care routines
  • Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) and muscular dystrophies: Can impact mouth and face muscle control
  • Sensory processing disorders: May make oral care challenging

Speech, Language, and Feeding Issues

  • Can have trouble with mouth movements for speaking
  • Feeding and swallowing disorders: Can impact oral health and development
  • Mouth breathing: Breathing through mouth instead of nose can change how teeth grow