Healthy habits for healthy teeth
Help keep your child's teeth healthy teeth for life with good habits like eating well, drinking water, brushing daily, and having regular dental check-ups.
How healthy teeth support your child’s wellbeing
Having a healthy mouth can support your child’s ability to speak, eat, and feel good about themselves. It also protects them from tooth decay, and can help lower the risk of some diseases, including heart disease and diabetes later in life.
Here are some ideas to help your kids have strong, healthy teeth – and keep them healthy.
Growing healthy teeth
Learning healthy dental habits as kids is important to help set them up for good health later in life. Watch for some tips to help kids grow strong and healthy teeth.
4 ways to keep teeth healthy for life
Learning how to look after their teeth early helps set kids up for good health.
Make water your family’s drink. Drinks that have added sugars, such as soft drinks, cordials, fruit drinks, energy drinks and sports drinks can cause tooth decay. Most tap water contains fluoride, which helps protect your teeth. Learn more about healthy food and drinks.
Choosing foods from the 5 food groups (including vegetables and dairy foods) helps keep your teeth and gums healthy. You can use the Eat for Health food calculator to find out how many serves of fruits, vegetables and dairy your family needs. For healthy teeth, aim to eat fewer foods with added sugars and starches, like in packaged snacks. These can cling to teeth, causing tooth decay.
Spending just a few minutes twice a day brushing your children’s teeth can help support their health now and into the future. Brushing your child’s teeth every morning and night before going to bed helps remove plaque and bacteria that cause tooth decay and gum disease.
Use a pea size amount of fluoride toothpaste. Spit it out after brushing. Fluoride toothpaste can be found at the supermarket or chemist. Select the toothpaste that’s recommended for your child’s age, unless your dental practitioner recommends a different strength.
Tip: You don't need to rinse your mouth with water after brushing. A small amount of fluoride toothpaste left around the teeth will help protect them.
For more information about looking after your teeth, visit NSW Public Dental Services.
Seeing a dental practitioner regularly can also help keep your family's teeth, gums and mouth healthy.
A dental practitioner can check for, and treat, problems with your child’s teeth and mouth. They can talk to you about how to brush teeth and what toothpaste to use.
This can help prevent dental problems that could give your child trouble eating, sleeping, or going to school. Learn more about mouth health for:
Dental services
There are different types of dental services available to people in NSW.
NSW Public dental services
Children under 18 years with a Medicare card are eligible for free dental care through NSW Public Dental Services. Parents or guardians must sign a Child Dental Benefits Schedule (CDBS) Bulk Billing Patient Consent Form. If a child isn’t eligible for CDBS or has already used their benefit, they can still receive dental care at no cost.
For more information, visit the NSW Child Dental Benefits Scheme.
NSW Public Dental Services also provide free dental care to eligible adults who have a Medicare card and either hold or are listed as a dependent on a valid Australian Government concession card.
- To access NSW Public Dental Services call: 1800 679 336.
- If you need an Interpreter Service call TIS National on: 13 14 50.
Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations
Some Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations (ACCHO) provide dental care for their community. Eligibility and appointment processes may vary.
Private dental care
To find a private dentist go to Australian Dental Association website.