A Guide to Healthy Smiles: What we learned from our special visit from a Dentist!
This week we had the pleasure of welcoming dentists and hygienists from Brunswick Dental Practice and Dental Spa to our nursery as part of our celebration of World Smile Day. The children absolutely loved their visit and learned some fantastic tips and tricks for keeping their smiles bright and healthy. We wanted to share a few key takeaways with you, so you can continue these healthy habits at home.
Fun with Rosie the Puppet!
The children were thrilled to help Rosie the Puppet brush her teeth. This hands-on activity introduced them to the equipment that dentists use, helping to make a trip to the dentist feel less intimidating. They also saw pictures of what can happen to teeth if we don’t take care of them properly - our budding little dentists were fascinated!We also practiced brushing our teeth in circles to make sure we cover the whole tooth. The children were given special egg timers that measure the recommended 2-minute brushing time, which will make brushing even more fun.
Top Tips for Brushing at Home
The dentists had some helpful reminders regarding how and when to brush your teeth, which we encourage you to do at home:
Start Early: As soon as your child’s teeth start coming through, it’s time to begin brushing.
The Smaller, the Better: Smaller toothbrushes work best for little mouths—they help children reach all areas.
Right Amount of Toothpaste: For children under 3, use a smear of toothpaste, and for those aged 3 to 6, a pea-sized amount is perfect.
Brush in Circles for 2 Minutes: Egg timers are a great way to time brushing for the full 2 minutes.
Best Time to Brush: The dentist recommends brushing before breakfast or at least half an hour after eating. Brushing twice a day, including once before bed, helps protect teeth while your child sleeps.
Remember, children should spit after brushing but not rinse, as this helps the fluoride in the toothpaste continue protecting their teeth. And it’s important to supervise brushing until they’re at least 7 years old to ensure they’re doing it properly
Continuing the fun at WRAP
Following the dentists’ visit, we’ve set up a dentist-themed role-play area in our nursery. The children can now practice brushing big models of teeth (complete with marker pen ‘plaque’!), helping them build confidence in their oral hygiene routines. Nikki, our Nursery Manager, also wants to encourage parents to continue the learning at home using a laminated picture of teeth that you can ‘decorate’ with felt tip pen plaque for your child to brush away.
Good oral health, even with baby teeth, supports your child’s ability to chew, develop speech, and feel confident when smiling. Plus, taking care of their teeth now helps make room for healthy adult teeth later on.
At the WRAP Nursery, our plant-based meals are prepared in-house, avoiding sugar where possible and we sweeten desserts naturally with whole fruit like bananas or dates. It’s important to limit how often children eat foods with added sugars - keeping sugary foods and drinks to mealtimes helps reduce the risk of tooth decay. Water and milk are the safest drinks for children’s teeth, the NHS advises you to avoid offering fruit juices or smoothies during the day.
Using Open Cups
From as early as 6 months old, it’s recommended to start offering drinks in open-top cups, which help strengthen your child’s facial muscles, aiding in chewing and talking. By 12 months old, children should transition completely to open cups, avoiding bottles or cups with soft teats or valves, which can affect oral health. If you’d like more guidance on this, check out this NHS video on moving from bottles to cups.
Keep Smiling!
We all loved the visit from our local dentist and can’t wait to go and see them working in their practice in the coming weeks. Keeping your child’s teeth healthy is a team effort and we will support you every step of the way. If you have any questions about what we’ve learned or need advice on maintaining your child’s oral health, feel free to ask, email or message us directly - whether you are a current parent or not!
