At Natural Choice we teach children about Oral Hygiene through play and teaching moments. Oral health is important, even with baby teeth. This is because children’s baby teeth:
- help them to bite and chew
- support speech and language development
- help them feel confident when they smile
- make space for and help to guide adult teeth
Children need to form good oral health habits from an early age to help avoid tooth decay. Tooth decay happens when sugars from food and drinks interact with bacteria in tooth plaque. This results in acid production, causing holes in teeth known as cavities.
Brushing Teeth
As soon as a child’s teeth start to come through, they are ready for toothbrushing to start.
One of the skills children should practice before starting school is brushing their teeth with fluoride toothpaste twice a day.
For effective tooth brushing:
- use a fluoride toothpaste that contains at least 1000 parts per million (ppm) of fluoride – you can find this information on the packaging
- use a smear of toothpaste for children under 3, and a pea sized amount for those aged 3 to 6
- brush in circles for around 2 minutes, making sure to cover the whole of each tooth
- brush twice a day, including once just before bed – this allows the fluoride to keep working while children sleep
- children should spit, not rinse, after brushing – this avoids washing away the fluoride
- adults should help children to brush their teeth until they are 7 years old to make sure they are brushing properly
Home Learning
At nursery we provide sharing bags for you to take home. These contain information and games on Oral Hygiene that you can do at home. Please ask a member of staff if you would like to borrow one.
