Cleaning your toddler's teeth and avoiding tooth decay

Reluctant brushers
If your older baby or toddler resists teeth cleaning, the following tips can help.

• Make teeth-brushing fun. Change brushes regularly to keep interest up and let your toddler choose what brush they want to use.
• Have a tooth-brushing song.
• Let your toddler brush their toy's teeth first, using a separate toothbrush. Or you can try brushing your teeth at the same time, then help them finish cleaning theirs.

Avoiding tooth decay
In addition to regular teeth cleaning, here are some other ways you can reduce the chances of tooth decay.

• Limit the number of times a day your toddler eats or drinks something sugary.
• The longer a sugary food is in the mouth, the more damage it will do to teeth, so avoid giving your toddler foods that they suck or that get stuck to teeth.
• If your toddler does have sweets or chocolate, it is less harmful for their teeth if they eat them only at the end of a meal than if they eat a little every hour or so between meals. Don't offer large amounts of sugary sweets, as they contain empty calories as well as contributing to tooth decay.
• Watch for the sugar content on food labels, and beware of unrefined sugars in raisins and dried fruit too.