What Can Adults Do to Maintain Good Oral Health?

You can keep your teeth for your lifetime. Here are some things you can do to maintain a healthy mouth and strong teeth.

Drink fluoridated water and brush with fluoride toothpaste.
Practice good oral hygiene. Brush teeth thoroughly and floss between the teeth to remove dental plaque.
Visit your dentist on a regular basis, even if you have no natural teeth or have dentures.
Do not use any tobacco products. If you smoke, quit.
Limit alcoholic drinks.
If you have diabetes, work to maintain control of the disease. This will decrease risk for other complications, including gum disease.
If your medication causes dry mouth, ask your doctor for a different medication that may not cause this condition. If dry mouth cannot be avoided, drink plenty of water, chew sugarless gum, and avoid tobacco products and alcohol.
See your doctor or a dentist if you have sudden changes in taste and smell.
When acting as a caregiver, help older individuals brush and floss their teeth if they are not able to perform these activities independently.

Children’s Oral Health

O verview

Tooth decay (cavities) is one of the most common chronic conditions of childhood in the United States. Untreated tooth decay can cause pain and infections that may lead to problems with eating, speaking, playing, and learning.

About 1 of 5 (20%) children aged 5 to 11 years have at least one untreated decayed tooth. ¹
1 of 7 (13%) adolescents aged 12 to 19 years have at least one untreated decayed tooth. ¹
The percentage of children and adolescents aged 5 to 19 years with untreated tooth decay is twice as high for those from low-income families (25%) compared with children from higher-income households (11%). ¹

The good news is that tooth decay is preventable. Fluoride varnish, a high concentration fluoride coating that is painted on teeth, can prevent about one-third (33%) of decay in the primary (baby) teeth. ² Children living in communities with fluoridated tap water have fewer decayed teeth than children who live in areas where their tap water is not fluoridated. ³ Similarly, children who brush daily with fluoride toothpaste will have less tooth decay. ⁴
Applying dental sealants to the chewing surfaces of the back teeth is another way to prevent tooth decay. Studies in children show that sealants reduce decay in the permanent molars by 81% for 2 years after they are placed on the tooth and continue to be effective for 4 years after placement. ⁵

What Parents and Caregivers Can Do

Here are some things you can do to ensure good oral health for your child:

Protect your child’s teeth with fluoride.
- Use fluoride toothpaste.
  - If your child is younger than age 6, watch your child brush their teeth. Make sure your child only uses a pea-sized amount of toothpaste and always spits it out rather than swallows it.
  - If your child is younger than age 2, do not use fluoride toothpaste unless your doctor or dentist tells you to.
  - Learn more about fluoride toothpaste and other sources of fluoride at Brush Up on Healthy Teeth.
- Talk to your pediatrician, family doctor, nurse, or dentist about putting fluoride varnish on your child’s teeth as soon as the first tooth appears in the mouth.
- If your drinking water is not fluoridated, ask your dentist, family doctor, or pediatrician if your child needs oral fluoride supplements like drops, tablets, or lozenges.
Talk to your child’s dentist about dental sealants. Sealants protect teeth from decay.
Have your child visit a dentist for a first checkup by age 1, as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics