Families For Life | Dental Care for School-Age Children-Young Children
Dental Care for Children: Keeping Those Little Teeth Healthy
The early years are a crucial time for your child's dental health. Around 6 years of age, children start losing their baby teeth and growing their first permanent ones — making good habits now more important than ever.
Why It Matters
Baby teeth aren't just placeholders. They help children chew, speak clearly, and hold space in the jaw for adult teeth to grow in correctly. Tooth decay at this age can cause pain, affect eating and concentration at school, and even impact the development of permanent teeth underneath.
How Tooth Decay Happens
Every time your child eats or drinks something other than water, the bacteria in their mouth feed on sugars and produce acids that attack the tooth enamel. This acid response is illustrated by what's known as the Stephan Curve, a graph that shows how the pH in the mouth drops sharply within minutes of eating, falling into the "danger zone" where enamel begins to dissolve, before gradually recovering back to a safe level over roughly 30 to 60 minutes.
The more frequently this happens throughout the day — even with small snacks or sips of juice — the less time teeth have to recover. Over time, this repeated acid exposure is what leads to cavities.
This is why how often your child eats and drinks matters just as much as what they eat and drink.
Ways to Protect Your Child's Teeth
Keep mealtimes structured. Aim for 3 meals and up to 2 snacks a day, with eating and drinking (other than water) happening only during these set times. This gives teeth recovery time between meals rather than being under constant acid attack.
Set a time limit for eating. Try to finish meals within 30 minutes and snacks within 15 minutes. Prolonged grazing keeps teeth exposed to acids for much longer than necessary.
Make water the default drink. Encourage your child to reach for water between meals and throughout the day. Sugary drinks — including fruit juice, cordials, and flavoured milk — are best kept to mealtimes only, if at all.
Rinse after meals. If brushing isn't possible straight after eating, encourage your child to rinse their mouth thoroughly with water. This helps wash away food particles and dilute acids.
Brush twice a day with fluoride toothpaste. Brush in the morning and before bed, using a pea-sized amount of fluoride toothpaste. Fluoride strengthens enamel and is one of the most effective tools against tooth decay. Make sure your child spits rather than swallows the toothpaste, but avoid rinsing with water immediately after brushing at night — this washes away the protective fluoride.
Making It a Habit
Children this age still need adult supervision when brushing — most don't have the dexterity to brush effectively on their own until around age 7 or 8. Try brushing together as a family to make it feel like a normal part of the day rather than a chore.
Sticker charts, a favourite song timed to two minutes, or letting your child pick their own toothbrush can all help build enthusiasm around the routine.
Regular Dental Visits
Aim to bring your child to the dentist every six months. Regular check-ups allow early detection of any issues and give your child the chance to become comfortable in the dental chair — reducing anxiety around dental visits as they grow older.
Contributed by:
Health Promotion Board