Take care of your teeth and gums

Here's how you and your children can have healthy teeth and keep trips to the dentist to a minimum.

Brush your teeth twice a day

Brush your teeth twice a day with fluoride toothpaste.

Floss between your teeth

Floss or use an interdental brush every day to remove food, debris and plaque lodged between your teeth.

Read more about why it's important to floss.

Cut down on sugar, and other lifestyle tips

Have a healthy lifestyle, including eating well, not smoking and limiting your alcohol and sugar intake. It's good for your whole body, including your teeth, gums and mouth.

Brush baby teeth as soon as they come through

Start brushing a baby's teeth as soon as they come through.

Here are tips on how to look after baby teeth, including the importance of avoiding sweetened foods and drinks.

Get children into a teeth-cleaning routine

Help your child have healthy teeth for life by having a good dental health routine.

Read more about how to look after your children's teeth.

Straighten crooked teeth with braces

More and more teenagers (and some adults) are having braces and orthodontics to straighten their teeth.

Find out more about getting braces

Have regular dental check-ups

Have regular check-ups with your dentist. Don't put off going for a check-up. Detecting problems early can mean they're easier to treat.

If problems aren't treated, they may lead to damage that's harder, or even impossible, to repair.

Don't delay dental treatments

There are a wide range of dental treatments available. Some, such as fillings and root canal treatment, are readily available on the NHS.

Others, such as cosmetic dentistry, are only available on the NHS in certain circumstances.

Find out about dental treatments

For information on who can get free dentistry, how to find an NHS dentist and what to expect from your dentist, see NHS dental services.

Read the answers to the most common questions about NHS dentistry.

Page last reviewed: Mon Sep 2018 Next review due: Fri Sep 2021