Healthy Mouths for Babies

NHS

Baby teeth and teething

Tooth decay in babies…• What it looks like• What causes it• How you can stop it from happening

How to look after your own teeth

We’ll be looking at…

Baby teeth are important….

• Help children eat and grow

• Make the shape of the jaws and face

• Help children speak• Keep the space for the

permanent teeth• Help to have a healthy

smile

Teething

• Teething ring or cold, clean flannel• Talk to a doctor or a child and family health

nurse

Tooth decay…

…but it can be stopped

is one of the most common childhood diseases…

Tooth decay…

is a serious dental condition that• gets worse quickly• can cause pain and trouble with

eating and sleeping• can cause children to feel bad

about themselves• might need an operation

What causes tooth decay?

Best advice for babies• Breast feeding provides the best nutrition.

• Exclusive breast feeding is advised for the

first six months.

• Infant formula and cooled, boiled water if

not breast fed.

• Infants should not be put to bed with a feeding bottle.

Drink well

• Demand feed up to 6 months

• Keep bottles for meal times ONLY

• Use water at night and between meals

• Encourage use of a cup at 6 months

• Stop the bottle at 1st birthday

Moving from milk to family foods

Dummies

• Never dip the dummy or teething ring into fruit syrups, honey, fruit juices or anything containing sugars, particularly at bedtime.

• These contain harmful sugars and acids

How to clean your baby’s teeth

Acknowledgement of graphic source:NSW Department of Health. Early childhood oral health guidelines

for child health professionals. Sydney. NSW Department of Health, 2009

• Have regular dental check-ups• Brush & floss• Drink water• Eat healthy food

Your own dental health

Be a good role model.

Let’s work together

Thanks to…

• Centre for Oral Health Strategy NSW • NSW Oral Health Promotion Network• Devon Dental Access Centre