Good oral health for all the family

Oral health has an important role in the general health and wellbeing of families. Poor oral can impact how children and young people sleep, eat, speak, play and socialise with other children.  

For parents, it’s important to ensure your child has a beautiful healthy smile that will last them a lifetime.

Starting good dental habits in childhood helps to establish a lifetime of positive oral health routines that can prevent dental problems in adulthood.

Having sugary food and drink throughout the day is harmful for children’s teeth because it means teeth have more contact with sugar and don’t have time to recover. Give your child a varied diet and limit the amount and number of times they have sugar in the day.

Further information on how to take care of your child’s teeth can be found on the NHS website: Children's teeth

Dental Treatment

You're entitled to free NHS dental treatment if you're pregnant when you start your treatment and for 12 months after your baby is born.

To get free NHS dental treatment, you must have a valid maternity exemption certificate (MatEx) issued by your midwife or GP.

Further Information

Find a dentist - NHS dental treatment and advice is free for all children. To find a dentist, you can visit ask at your local clinic or find a dentst using the NHS service search.

Health visiting - Health visiting through the Healthy Child programme offers every child five visits between the ages of 0 to 5 years to check on development and give parents the information and support they need as their child grows.