Prevention right from the start

For the dosage, parents can follow the recommendations of the German Dental Association. This states that from the first milk tooth, children should brush twice a day with a rice-grain-sized amount of children's toothpaste with 1000 ppm fluoride or twice a day with a pea-sized amount with 500 ppm fluoride. From the age of two until the sixth birthday, parents should brush twice a day with a pea-sized amount of toothpaste containing 1000 ppm fluoride. From the age of six, teeth can be brushed twice a day with a toothpaste containing at least 1000 ppm fluoride. In addition, the spaces between the teeth can be carefully cleaned with dental floss. Fluoride varnishes, gels or fluoride-containing mouth rinses for home use are only used for children with an increased caries risk and under dental supervision. In addition, the use of iodised and fluoridated table salt is recommended for all children as well as their families.

From school age onwards, everything at the dentist revolves around individual prophylaxis and keeping the permanent teeth healthy. For this purpose, regular check-ups are recommended at six-month intervals, which are covered by the health insurance for children and adolescents between the ages of six and 18. From the age of twelve, these are also entered in a bonus booklet in order to be entitled to increased subsidies for dental prostheses later on.

As part of the individual prophylaxis, dentists not only examine the health status of the teeth, but also check the development of the dental occlusion, which is subject to strong changes due to the change of teeth. If these deviate from the norm, orthodontic treatment may be advisable. Furthermore, dentists inform their young patients about oral hygiene, carry out local fluoridation to harden enamel and seal caries-free fissures and pits in the molars.