Integrated & Community Services - Children’s Teeth Advice for Children Aged 3 - 11 Years of Age

Eating well

Having sugary foods or drinks between meals will cause your child’s teeth to decay. Limit any sugary foods or drinks to mealtimes.
Between meals offer your child healthy sugar free foods and drinks that will not damage their teeth:

• Plan a balanced diet for your child
• Make sure your child has a healthy diet at times they are not with you such as when they are

○  At grandparents or childminders

○  At nursery, pre-school or school

○  At before or after school care / activities

Health promoting schools

The government is encouraging schools to promote healthy eating as a part of the school day.

Parents have an important role to play by:

• Keeping to any rules the school has about foods and drinks from home
• Ensuring your child has healthy snacks and drinks
• Encouraging your child to have a school meal or provide a nutritious packed lunch based on the eatwell plate (see picture)
• Not sending into school sweet things for birthday treats
• If your child is hungry at the end of the school day, plan a healthy snack
• Many snacks are high in fat and sugar and can ruin your child’s appetite

The Eatwell Plate

• Growing children need a varied diet that will help them learn, play and enjoy life
• If you want to get the balance of your child’s diet right, use the eatwell plate
• The eatwell plate shows the types and proportions of foods we need, to have a healthy and well balanced diet
• Having a varied diet in childhood can help your child maintain a healthy weight and keep teeth in good condition

Snacks and drinks

Most of the sugar in our diet comes from chocolate, sweets, drinks, breakfast cereals, biscuits and cakes.

Look after your child’s teeth and keep their body fit by choosing snacks and drinks that are sugar free, low in fat and salt.

Healthy snack ideas:

• Pieces of fruit - apple, satsuma, banana, pear, grapes, melon, strawberries, plum, cherries, kiwi, nectarine and many more
• Don’t give dried fruit between meals, it is very sugary and can damage teeth
• Vegetable pieces - celery, carrot, cucumber, peppers and tomato
• Bread - wholemeal, white, crusty bread, muffins, baps, pitta bread, toast, chapattis, crumpets
• Assorted sandwich fillings - look for low fat options such as spreads, low fat cheeses, tuna, egg, houmous, or turkey

A long cool drink of the right stuff

Plain (not fizzy) water is great for quenching thirst, either tap or bottled is fine. Cold plain milk makes a satisfying drink that is full of goodness.

Keep any other type of drink to mealtimes

Fruit juice, smoothies, milkshakes (shop bought or homemade), bedtime milk drinks, cordial, flavoured water, sports and fizzy drinks can decay teeth.

Even the no added, low or natural sugar types contain broken down sugars, which may decay teeth.
 
Many of these drinks including diet fizzy types can also dissolve the tooth’s surfaces. This is called erosion.

Limit how often your child has any drink other than plain milk or water between meals.

Choose the right fluoride toothpaste

Avoid using a children’s toothpaste, as they may not give full fluoride protection. Choose a toothpaste that contains at least 1000 parts per million fluoride (ppmF), read the label.

Family fluoride toothpastes that contain between 13500-1500 ppmF are the most effective at preventing dental decay. For children under the age of three, use a smear of toothpaste.

For children three years and older, use a pea sized amount of family fluoride toothpaste.

Encourage your child to spit out and not rinse after brushing. This will leave small amounts of fluoride toothpaste in the saliva, which will help strengthen teeth.

Use the correct amount of family fluoride toothpaste for your child. Do not let your child eat toothpaste.

Get your child into the habit of brushing.

Help your child brush their teeth until they are at least eight years old.

As your child gets older, still check they are brushing their teeth properly.

Choose a small headed toothbrush; brush carefully the area where the teeth and gums meet.
 
Brush using a family fluoride toothpaste every night before they go to sleep and on one other occasion such as in the morning.

Gums may bleed when brushed. To stop the bleeding, brush gently and thoroughly twice a day. Brushing last thing at night can offer longer protection to teeth as the fluoride continues to work when your child is asleep. Take the whole family to the dentist.

Visit the dentist as often as your dentist recommends. Find a dentist who is good with children.

Ask the dentist for advice on keeping teeth and gums healthy. If you do not have a dentist, you can get more information by visiting the following website: www.nhs.uk

Many liquid medicines contain sugar, which can damage teeth. Medicines such as cough medicine; pain and fever relief and most prescription medicines are available in pleasant tasting sugar-free varieties.

Always ask for sugar-free medicine.

Contact

Angela Brown
Dental Professional Lead
angela.brown@nca.nhs.uk  
Salford Community Dental Service 0161 206 1513