Children, ages 12-17

Maintain Regular Dental Visits

Visit a dental professional at least once per year or more often as recommended. Your dental professional will: 

• Check your child’s mouth for healthy development 
• Perform routine dental cleanings to remove plaque and buildup 
• Take x-rays as needed to track permanent tooth development, cavities, growth and health, and tooth alignment  
• Provide personalized advice on how to care for your child’s teeth 
• Provide information about sealants once permanent molars come in, which can be an effective way to prevent tooth decay
• Check to see your child needs braces
• Your dental professional may also offer topical fluoride to help prevent cavities (tooth decay)

Contact a dental professional if you have questions or notice anything unusual. 

Toothbrush and toothpaste: Use a small or medium size, soft toothbrush and toothpaste when brushing to clean all teeth, even the ones that are coming in. 

Brush Twice a Day: Your child should brush teeth twice a day, after breakfast and before bedtime for at least two minutes to help prevent tooth decay and gum disease.  

Amount of Toothpaste to Use: A pea-sized amount. 

Spitting out Toothpaste: Your child should spit out the toothpaste and rinse with water.  

Flossing: Your child should floss once a day when teeth start touching each other. Floss in between each tooth that touches another tooth. The floss should glide between the teeth and create a C shape with the floss to hug the tooth without injuring the gum. Raise the floss up slightly and form the C shape for the other tooth that touches. 

Proper toothbrushing and flossing will limit potential risks of gingivitis and periodontal disease. 

• Gingivitis is the first stage of periodontal disease, and it is a condition that causes inflammation of the gums, bone loss, tooth loss, and affects other organs of the body. 
• Periodontal disease makes it difficult to control blood sugar which affects conditions such as diabetes. 

Individuals with periodontal disease have a two to three times the risk of having a heart attack, stroke, or other serious cardiovascular events. 

Healthy Food Options

Provide your child with nutritious options like fruits, vegetables, whole-grain products, dairy products, lean meats, fish, eggs, and beans.   

Ensure children receive adequate calcium each day to develop strong bones and teeth. Recommended calcium intake:  

• Children ages 11-17 need 1,300 mg of calcium each day. 

Limit Sugary Drinks and Food Items

On average, sugar makes up 17% of what children consume each day. Many foods or beverages have extra sugar and syrups added to them when they are processed or prepared. These added sugars have many different names, such as brown sugar, corn sweetener, corn syrup, dextrose, fructose, glucose, high-fructose corn syrup, honey, lactose, malt syrup, maltose, molasses, raw sugar and sucrose.  

How often sugar is consumed is important for teeth. Frequent sugar sweetened drinks and snacks between meals can increase the risk of cavities (tooth decay).   

• Encourage drinking water during the day, instead of juice, sugar sweetened drinks, or soda.  
• Limit sweets like cookies, crackers, candy, gummies, dried fruits, ice cream, and cake.   

Read Nutrition Labels

Many foods now list added sugar separately. You can find added sugar by reading the ingredients.  

• Aim for less than 25 grams (about 6 teaspoons) of added sugar per day.  

Serve Water and Milk

• Avoid soda, sports drinks, sweet tea, sweetened coffee, and fruit drinks.  
• Milk contains natural sugar (lactose) and provides calcium, protein, vitamin D, and other nutrients.

Go Fresh and Limit Processed, Pre-Packed Foods and Drinks 

Sugar is often added to pre-packed food and drinks while they are being made or at the table. For example, there are hidden sources of added sugar in processed foods like ketchup, dried cranberries, salad dressing, and baked beans. 

Instead, satisfy your child’s sweet tooth with whole fruit. 

Hydration and Dry Mouth Prevention

Some conditions and medications can cause dry mouth, increasing the risk of cavities (tooth decay). Ensure your child drinks plenty of water throughout the day.  

Vitamin D supports bones and healthy teeth, by helping the body absorb and keep enough calcium and phosphorus. Vitamin D also plays a role in the immune system. 

• Low levels of vitamin D in children are associated with higher cavity rates. 
• Children with an increased risk of vitamin D deficiency, such as those taking certain medications and with chronic diseases such as cystic fibrosis, may need higher doses of vitamin D.

Your child’s skin characteristics can affect the vitamin D that their body makes. In particular, the pigment in your child’s skin is an important factor to consider; darker skinned people manufacture less vitamin D than those whose skin is lighter. 

Consult with your child’s health care provider to ensure they’re getting enough vitamin D.

Getting Enough Vitamin D

It is recommended that children ages 4-18 need 600 IU of vitamin D each day. 

Children and adolescents should receive a vitamin D supplement containing it if they are not consuming enough through their diet.  

Natural Sources

• Food that contains vitamin D include salmon, sardines, tuna, mackerel, shiitake mushrooms, and hard-boiled eggs.
• Enriched foods are another way to increase the vitamin D in your child’s diet. Look for foods fortified with vitamin D such as milk, cereal, orange juice, and yogurt.
• Vitamin D is also made by your child’s body with the sun’s ultraviolet rays. When your child is exposed to sunlight, it helps the body synthesize vitamin D in the skin. And it doesn’t take much time in the sun to produce adequate amounts of vitamin D. 

Not all children get enough sunlight, particularly during certain times of the year or in northern regions of the U.S. Dense cloud covers and high levels of air pollution can reduce the ultraviolet rays reaching the skin.

Encourage your child to exercise and spend time outside to improve or maintain overall health. 

It’s important that your child wears a mouth guard along with any other recommended protective equipment when playing sports or informal recreational activities. Ask your health care provider or dental professional for more information.  

• If your child knocks an adult tooth out, pick the tooth up by the white part, not touching the root.
• If the tooth is dirty, rinse it gently with milk, salt water, or your child’s saliva and attempt to place it immediately back in its original position.  
• Once the tooth is back in its original position, have your child bite gently on a clean gauze, a handkerchief, or napkin to hold it in place.
• If the tooth cannot be placed back in its original position right away, store the tooth in milk, your child’s saliva, or at least water.
• The tooth can then be brought with your child to their dentist, urgent care, or emergency room. 

See a dental professional as soon as possible if your child injures a tooth or has a severe injury to their gums, lips, or jaws.  

Tobacco and nicotine products expose people to harmful chemicals that can cause cancers of the lip, cheeks, gums, lungs, and other parts of the body. 

Tobacco and nicotine products (e.g., cigarettes, e-cigarettes/vapes, oral pouches, etc.) can increase the risk of severe gum disease, inflammation, dry mouth, tooth decay, plaque, buildup, and temporary loss of taste, as well as other harmful effects. 

Encourage your child to avoid tobacco and nicotine products of any kind.