Oral health and hygiene are hugely important in a child’s development and something we at the Nature Den care a great deal about.

Establishing daily teeth brushing in your childhood leads to good habits in adulthood, and the chance of better oral health throughout your life.

Here, nursery manager Olivia Sharman has a look at how the Nature Den encourages its children to get brushing.

Good oral health

Keeping teeth in good health is a lifelong pursuit.

With sugary temptations at every turn, it can often be difficult to say no to your child when they are pleading for a treat.

But as well as limiting sugar intake, daily brushing will keep children’s smiles bright and free from cavities for years to come.

Shockingly, national figures show a quarter of five-year-olds experience tooth decay, with those children having an average of three or four teeth affected.

An NHS study of oral health in three-year-olds also revealed that 12% has experienced dental decay.

We want to help children maintain good oral and dental health to help reduce the risk of cavities and long stints in the dentist’s chair.

Fun brushing

At the Nature Den, we encourage children to brush daily – showing them how to apply toothpaste and helping them to brush.

We work through the NHS MySmile programme, aimed at creating tooth-friendly environments for young children, helping to protect their oral health.

This is all done in a friendly and fun way – it’s just one of the many activities we have during the day and is actually becoming one of their favourites.

Once you show them how to do it, children really enjoy their toothbrushing time – it’s a bit messy and they feel they have accomplished something adult.

Our goal is not only to have our children leave the nursery with beaming smiles, but also to know how important it is to keep brushing throughout their lives.