Teaching our grandchildren to take care of their teeth at an early age is so important.

It is best to start them getting use to a tooth brush as soon as possible, it is not necessary to put tooth paste on the brush to start with but as they get older introduce them to the taste.  Find out that has a nice minty flavour, it may take a while before you find the one that your grandchild prefers.

I was told by a dentist that a child should not brush their own teeth until they reach the age of 10.  The reason being is that they may not get into the back molars or do the inner part of the teeth properly.

When our granddaughter came into our care one of the first things that I did was take her to the dentist.  It was discovered that she had 14 holes in 10 teeth, which was put down to the fact that she had been given chocolate milk to drink which is full of sugar.  She had to have them repaired under general anaesthic which was not a good experience for either or us.  Try to avoid sugar filled drinks, juice is full of sugar so please read the label carefully, flavoured milk and of course sugary sweets.

Start taking your grandchild to the dentist at an early age.  The first visit may simply by having you sit in the chair and the child on your lap, keep the first visit brief.  They may not be happy about opening their mouth for the dentist, don't give up, it will happen eventually.  Granddaughter didn't like the dentist to start with however she soon got use to it and now opens her mouth without any problems.  As yet she has not had any teeth filled only cleaned which is a good way of introducing them to the dentist.  If you have a fear of dentist, try not to show it to your grandchild, go off happily even if inside you may be dreading the prospect.

Ask your dentist for Dental Mousse which is put on the teeth after brushing at night.  It helps reduce dental decay, good for adults as well.  Try not to let your grandchild have a drink for a while after using the product as it does need time to enter the teeth.  It comes in a variety of flavours.

Purchase a tooth brush that is suited for your grandchild. It might be a good idea to take your grandchild with you so they can select the one that they prefer, that way they may enjoy brushing their teeth.