Looking after your teeth

You should be supervised by an adult when brushing your teeth until you are 7 years old. By the age of 7 it is recommended that you should be able to brush your teeth on your own! You should try to visit your dentist every six months. If you don’t have a dentist you can get your parent or carer to register you with one. They can call us on 0113 824 7343 and we will advise them of a local available dental practice or clinic to attend in your area.

Top tips for brushing teeth:

• You should brush your teeth twice a day (morning and before bed) for two minutes using a pea sized amount or smear of fluoride toothpaste on your toothbrush. To help with this you could use a timer or an app such as BrushDJ to make sure you do brush for two minutes!
• When you brush your teeth brush all surfaces of your teeth – the inside, outside and chewing surfaces to make sure they are all clean – don’t rinse your toothbrush with water whilst cleaning!
• Once you have brushed all your teeth spit out any excess toothpaste and rinse your toothbrush off under the tap and put it away – but do not rinse your mouth with water! This is because it will wash away the toothpaste off your teeth that is there to protect them.
• If you eat a healthy balanced diet this helps you keep your teeth strong and healthy! Try to drink water rather than fizzy drinks or squash as water reduces the attacks on your teeth. If you want to know how much sugar you should have for your age check out www.nhs.uk/change4life

Other handy hints for you:

• Dried fruit should be only be eaten at mealtimes
• The fluoride count in toothpaste should be of 1350ppm – 1500ppm (this can be found on the tube)
• Children aged 6 and under, who do not have dental decay can use toothpaste with a fluoride count of 1000ppm
• If you want to speak to your School Nurse for support and advice on tooth brushing and support in maintaining good oral health, you can drop into your weekly school CHAT drop in service or text 07507 330346