Brushing with a flouride containing toothpaste helps prevent decay by strengthening the surface enamel of the teeth, making it more resistant to acid attack from the bacteria in plaque. (Plaque needs sugar to produce the acid which starts the decay process.)  Water fluoridation is a very effective and safe health measure. All water contains some fluoride - some higher than ideal. Not every area has an adjusted level of fluoride in the water supply .

There are many wrong ways to brush teeth and many right ways!

Before we get hung up on different techniques it is fundamentally important to understand what we are actually trying to do.

The aim is to clean the teeth and gum margins. It is especially important to clean in at the edge of the gum and between the teeth.

With children it is important to start from an early age and get them in to the regular habit of brushing at least two times per day - night and morning. Start with gum rubbing when they are babies.

With a young child rest their head backwards in the crook of your arm or against your hip. That steadies their head and allows a more controlled job to be done. Then with a small head toothbrush or electric toothbrush gently but firmly brush their teeth. Start on the outside at the back of the lower teeth and work your way right round the outside of the lower teeth. Then go right round the inside of the lower arch back to where you started. Now do the same on the top teeth. Go right round the outside carefully and then around the inside. Get them to spit out but NOT RINSE! We want to leave the residue of the toothpaste so that the Fluoride and other funky chemistry of the toothpaste can give over its benefits