What your teeth need at every stage of life
The risks change decade by decade, and so should what you do about them. Here is what matters most at each stage, from the first tooth to the last.
The advice does not change much. What changes is which part of it matters most, and that shifts considerably decade by decade.
Here is what to concentrate on at each stage.
Babies and toddlers
Start before the teeth. Wipe the gums with a clean damp cloth once a day. This is less about cleaning than about making a hand in the mouth completely unremarkable long before a toothbrush appears.
Brush from the first tooth, with a small soft brush and water. From about 18 months, add a smear of low-fluoride children's toothpaste.
First dental visit by the first birthday, or within six months of the first tooth. Earlier than most people expect, and the reason is only partly about finding problems. A one-year-old has nothing to fear yet, and a chair met while nothing hurts becomes an ordinary place.
The one habit to avoid: a bottle of milk or juice in bed. Anything sweet pooling around the teeth overnight, when saliva is low, is a leading cause of early childhood decay.
Read more: When do baby teeth come through?
School age
They still need help. Children do not have the fine motor control to brush properly until about seven or eight. Not a willingness problem, a wrist problem. Let them go first, then you finish.
Ask about sealants. The grooves in newly arrived adult back teeth are deep, narrow and impossible to brush properly. A sealant fills them in, without drilling or numbing, and a great deal of childhood decay starts in exactly those grooves.
Mouthguards for sport. From the moment they play anything where a ball, a stick, an elbow or the ground can reach the face.
Get the habit fixed now. Same two moments every day, non-negotiable, with you present. What you are building is not clean teeth this week. It is an adult who does this without thinking.
Teenagers
This is the highest-risk stretch of most people's lives, and it is worth knowing why.
Several things arrive at once. They take over their own brushing at precisely the age they care least. They gain independent money and independent access to soft drinks, energy drinks and snacks. Braces or aligners often appear, making cleaning considerably harder. Wisdom teeth start coming through.
What actually helps. Energy and sports drinks are the biggest single risk, because they combine sugar and acid and get sipped over hours. That is worth a specific conversation rather than a general one about sugar.
If they are in orthodontic treatment, cleaning around the hardware is not optional, and this is where interdental brushes earn their keep.
And appearance is a legitimate motivator at this age. Teenagers who will not brush for the sake of their long-term gum health will often brush because of how their teeth look. Use what works.
Adults, and pregnancy
Twice a year, and mean it. Most adults who develop serious problems did not neglect their teeth, they stopped going and lost the ability to catch things early.
The routine is short. Two minutes twice a day, plus something between the teeth once a day. Spit rather than rinse.
Watch the grazing. Desk snacking, sweetened coffee topped up through the day, and a water bottle with lemon in it are the adult versions of the sipped soft drink.
Pregnancy deserves its own note. Gum inflammation is common in pregnancy because of hormonal changes, and it can appear even in people whose gums were fine before. Check-ups and cleans are important during this time rather than something to defer.
Tell us you are pregnant, and how far along. It affects timing, positioning in the chair and what we would choose to do when. Some elective treatment is better deferred, and urgent problems should not be left. Morning sickness is worth mentioning too, since stomach acid erodes enamel, and rinsing with water rather than brushing straight afterwards protects it.
Midlife
The threats change here, and the routine that worked before stops being sufficient.
Gum disease becomes the main event, overtaking decay as the leading cause of tooth loss. It is painless until late, and bleeding when you brush is the only reliable early warning.
Gums recede, exposing root surfaces that have no enamel and decay much faster. New cavities at the gum line after a lifetime without them are not carelessness, they are a new surface with different rules.
Old fillings fail at the edges, with decay starting underneath where nobody can see it. That is a large part of what the x-rays are for.
Wear shows up. Decades of grinding and acid shorten teeth, which changes the height of the lower face.
Read more: Ten things that change about your teeth after 40
Older adults
Dry mouth is the big one, and it is usually caused by medication rather than by age. A great many common prescriptions list it. Because saliva is a primary defence, losing it can accelerate decay remarkably fast.
Tell us everything you take. Not because we will change it, but because it changes what we recommend.
Dexterity matters. If arthritis or reduced grip makes brushing harder, an electric brush with a larger handle is a genuine practical improvement rather than a luxury. Interdental brushes are usually easier to manage than floss.
Root decay is common where gums have receded, and high-fluoride toothpaste is often recommended.
Keep the check-ups. The oral cancer check we do at every appointment matters more with age, and it takes under a minute.
Dentures need care too. They are cleaned daily, taken out overnight unless advised otherwise, and they need reviewing, because the ridge underneath changes shape over the years and a denture that no longer fits causes sore spots and difficulty eating.
The thread through all of it
Most adult tooth loss comes from gum disease, and gum disease is preventable and treatable, particularly early.
Keeping your own teeth into later life is a realistic expectation rather than luck, and what it takes is unglamorous: the same short routine, kept up, plus somebody looking properly twice a year.
A full check-up and clean is a fixed $249 at any of our six clinics, with your health fund claimed on the spot.
Oral health FAQ
When should a child first see a dentist?
By their first birthday, or within six months of the first tooth appearing. That is earlier than most people expect, and the point is only partly to find problems. A child who meets a dentist while nothing hurts learns that this is an ordinary place, and that tends to last.
Is dental treatment safe during pregnancy?
Check-ups and cleans are important during pregnancy, and gum inflammation is common because of hormonal changes. Always tell us you are pregnant and how far along, because it affects timing, positioning and what we would choose to do when. Some elective treatment is better deferred, and urgent problems should not be left.
Why are teenagers at higher risk?
Several things arrive at once. They take over their own brushing at the age they are least interested in it, they gain independent access to sugary and energy drinks, orthodontic hardware makes cleaning harder, and wisdom teeth start appearing. It is the highest-risk stretch of most people's lives.
What causes dry mouth in older adults?
Most often medication rather than age itself. A great many common prescriptions list it as a side effect. Because saliva is a primary defence against decay, losing it can accelerate problems remarkably quickly, so it is always worth telling us what you take.
Can you prevent tooth loss as you age?
Largely, yes. Most adult tooth loss comes from gum disease rather than from age, and gum disease is preventable and treatable, especially when caught early. Keeping your own teeth into later life is a realistic expectation rather than good luck.
