Children's Dental Health

Keep your baby smiling with our simple guide to looking after their teeth.

Translated versions of the leaflet will be available in a range of languages soon.

Keep your toddler smiling with our simple guide to looking after their teeth.

Keep your child smiling with our simple guide to looking after their teeth.

Early years settings and primary schools tooth brushing programmes are a key priority in the Oral Health Promotion Strategy for Suffolk. Reviews show that daily application of fluoride toothpaste to teeth reduces the incidence and severity of tooth decay in children. Keep Suffolk Smiling is a supervised toothbrushing scheme that has been piloted in selected early years settings and schools in Suffolk since 2017 in order to improve oral health, reduce oral health inequalities and lay solid foundations for good oral health throughout life.

Translated versions of the leaflet will be available in a range of languages soon.

Download an activity sheet for your child today! We would love to see their efforts - Tag Healthy Suffolk on Facebook and Instagram to share them with us!

Since 2017, Suffolk’s ‘Keep Suffolk Smiling’ initiative has been delivering toothbrushing programmes in partnership with schools and early years settings to enhance oral health and reduce inequalities. In supervised toothbrushing schemes, children are encouraged to brush their own teeth daily as a group activity within schools and early years settings. Not only is this a great way to ensure children are brushing their teeth for the appropriate length of time at least once a day, but it is also a great opportunity to strengthen their knowledge around oral health and provide them with skills that they can bring home and use for life.

In Suffolk we are currently in a very fortunate position and have two partners providing supervised toothbrushing training and guidance across the county.

Watch this short video created by one of our partners that explains how a supervised toothbrushing session can look in practice.

Supervised toothbrushing schemes are safe, and highly effective. Evidence shows that such programmes can significantly reduce levels of tooth decay, particularly in areas where oral health inequalities are greatest. They also align well with the aims of the EYFS framework and the broader objectives of promoting healthy lifestyles within schools.

Settings that take part will be provided with support to get them started, including:

• Staff training and practical guidance
• Toothbrushing packs (brushes and fluoride toothpaste)
• Hygiene standards, routines, and school integration support

Some of our settings that have already participated in the programme have agreed to share some feedback of their experience of the programme:

Acorn2Oak Preschool, Ipswich: “This has been an amazing experience for both the preschool and the children. Many parents have said that this encourages the children to want to brush at home.”

Early Years @ Highfield – Whitehouse, Ipswich: “Our families have been really keen for us to involve their children. We have been able to support our families to make this part of the routine easier, especially for children with sensory and SEN needs.”

Tudor Primary School, Sudbury: “The scheme feels daunting at the start, but it quickly becomes a natural part of the day. The children look forward to it, and for staff it runs extremely smoothly. Highly recommend it!”

Watch a short video of a testimonial given by a teacher working with one of our partners. 

If your setting is taking part in supervised toothbrushing, we would love to hear from you.

In March 2025, the government announced a national scheme in partnership with Colgate-Palmolive to provide Supervised Toothbrushing to the most deprived areas of England. In Suffolk we are using this opportunity to expand our work to further reduce oral health inequalities within our county.

Alongside our established Supervised Toothbrushing work, we are utilising this national support to allow us to more specifically target settings that are within the most deprived areas.

To learn more or to join Keep Suffolk Smiling, please contact Chloe James at childrenandfamilies@suffolk.gov.uk

Together, we can strengthen good oral health habits for every child, to support learning and improve overall health.

• Brush together, twice a day for two minutes as soon as the first tooth appears (around 6 months old) – once before bed and once more during the day. Make it a family routine, try using a toothbrushing app or play your child’s favourite son to make it fun!
• Choose the right brush. Use a small, soft or medium bristle toothbrush. Help your child brush every surface inside, outside, and the chewing edges. Under 7s should be helped by an adult to make sure every surface of the tooth is reached.
• Spit, don’t rinse! Once your child is able to (from around 3 years old), encourage them to spit out toothpaste after brushing, but don’t rinse with water. This keeps the fluoride working to protect their teeth.
• Replace your child’s toothbrush every 3 months (or sooner if the bristles spread). If your child is sensitive to certain brushes or toothpastes, try different options until you find what works.
• Don’t let children run around with a toothbrush in their mouth, as they may have an accident and hurt themselves.

• Start brushing your baby's teeth with fluoride toothpaste as soon as the first tooth appears (around 6 months). It's important to use a fluoride toothpaste, as this helps to prevent and control tooth decay.
• The recommended fluoride levels in toothpaste are: 1000-1350 parts per million (ppm) for children aged between 0-3 years and 1350-1450 ppm for children aged 3+ years. Check the toothpaste packet for this information or ask your dentist.
• Below the age of 3 years, children should use a smear of toothpaste the size of a grain of rice. Above the age of 3 years, a pea-sized blob of toothpaste should be used.
• Always supervise toothpaste use. Make sure children don’t lick or eat toothpaste from the tube!
• Most family toothpastes are mint flavoured which can be too strong for small mouths. Try to start children on a mild toothpaste and work up to a stronger flavour when tolerated. For children who dislike strong tastes and foam, mild or non-flavoured and non-foaming toothpastes are available.

• Aim to register your baby with a dentist and take them by their first birthday or when their first tooth erupts. Why not take them during your maternity exemption which is valid up until they are 12 months old?
• Taking your child to the dentist as early as possible helps them to get use to the sights, sounds and smells of a dental practice and help it to become a normal part of their routine.
• Regular dental check-ups and early treatment are important. Tooth decay may not cause symptoms to start with, but can lead to toothache, sharp pain when eating or drinking, swollen, bleeding gums and white, brown or black spots on the teeth if left untreated.
• Your dentist will be able to give you advice and support on looking after your child’s teeth including advice on whether your child would benefit from extra protection such as fluoride varnishes.
• Need help finding an NHS dentist? Use this link: NHS Find a Dentist. Filter to see those accepting children.

• Ask your dentist about fluoride varnish which can be applied to your child’s teeth. It is low cost and considered safe – source: Children's teeth - NHS
• There is good evidence to support the delivery of fluoride through fluoride varnish in dental practices for the prevention of tooth decay in primary and permanent teeth.

Every time you eat or drink something sugary the chances of tooth decay increase. Instead of having sugary foods and drinks frequently, keep them to mealtimes. Examples of tooth friendly snacks and drinks between meals are

• Fresh fruit
• Fresh vegetables
• Toast (with a savoury topping)
• Breads and breadsticks
• Crackers and cheese
• Milk (plain)
• Water (plain)

The following, although generally considered healthy, are not tooth friendly, so should be kept to mealtimes only:

• Fruit smoothies
• Fruit juice
• Raisins or any dried fruit
• ‘No added sugar’ drinks

• No fluid other than expressed breast milk, formula milk or cooled down boiled water should be given in a bottle
• Children should not be left with a bottle to suckle while asleep
• Use an open top cup from the age of six months old. Introduce it at mealtimes starting with a small amount of water.
• If your baby uses a dummy, never dip the dummy into anything containing sugar, particularly at bedtime.
• Once your baby is one year old, you should stop giving a bottle with a teat. Teats can damage teeth (especially if used to give sweetened drinks). Aim to stop using bottles completely by your child’s first birthday. If using dummies, the same applies.

toothPASTE is a free, online resource developed with parents and professionals to support autistic children’s oral health and also relevant to many children with additional needs.

It includes small, practical steps to help with toothbrushing, reducing sugary foods and drinks, and attending dental appointments. The resources are autism-informed, non-judgemental, and easy to use.

Learn more at https://www.autismtoothcare.com/