How to look after your child’s teeth  

Healthy teeth = a healthy smile. 

Follow these 5 steps to protect your child's teeth: 

1. Brush teeth twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste.
2. Have regular dental check-ups. 
3. Lift the lip every month to check for signs of tooth decay (holes). 
4. Choose healthy snacks. 
5. Drink water or milk. 

Find out how to care for your baby's teeth [2]

Brush teeth twice a day 

By about 3 years of age your child will have their first set of teeth - 20 'baby' teeth. These teeth will help your child eat and speak well. Healthy baby teeth usually mean healthy adult teeth too, so it's important you look after your child's first teeth. 

Look after your child's first teeth by brushing them twice a day - after breakfast and before bed. You may find it easier to stand behind your child and gently tilt their head back as you brush. Use a small toothbrush with soft bristles and a smear of regular-strength fluoride toothpaste. 

Brush your child's teeth for 2 minutes: 

• all around the inside surfaces, where the teeth meet the gums, and also the top chewing surfaces 
• on the front of the teeth, brushing in tiny circles all around the outside surfaces, close to the gums 

Teach your child to spit out the left-over toothpaste after brushing. Don't rinse with water, because a small amount of fluoride toothpaste left around the teeth will help to protect them. 

It's important to brush your child's teeth until they are about 8 years old. 

Regular dental check-ups 

Oral healthcare is free for all children until they turn 18. Enrol your child with the service as early as possible, so that you can arrange the first check-up. Regular check-ups of your child's teeth increase the chances of finding and treating any tooth decay (holes) early. 

To enrol with a service or to make an appointment, phone 0800 TALK TEETH (0800 825 583). Your dental therapist will tell you how often your child should have a check-up. 

If your child accidentally bumps their teeth, take them to your local dentist, even if the teeth still look all right. 

Find out more about dental care in New Zealand [3]

Lift the lip 

Gently lift your child's top lip once a month to check inside their mouth. It's a quick and easy way to see if tooth decay is present. 

You can read about tooth decay and what to look for on the Plunket [4]website. 

See the New Zealand Dental Association’s ‘lift the lip’ visual on page 2 (PDF, 1.3MB). [5]

[5]

Choose healthy snacks 

Healthy eating = healthy teeth. To protect your child's teeth, give them low-sugar snacks between meals such as fruit, fresh vegetables, yoghurt and other dairy foods. Foods that are high in sugar can damage your child's teeth and cause tooth decay. 

It’s important to also give teeth a rest during the day, so keep snacks limited to just 2 to 3 times a day.  

Check out the visual below on healthy snacks for healthy teeth (PDF, 8.8MB). [6]

[7]

Drink water or milk 

The best drinks for your child's teeth are water and plain milk. Do not give your child drinks that have natural or added sugar, such as fruit juice, cordial, fizzy drinks, flavoured milks and chocolate drinks. These can cause tooth decay. 

Find out how to care for your child’s teeth when they are aged between 5 and 18 [8]

See KidsHealth's section on teeth [9]