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Oral Health - Every Mouth Matters


Caring for your mouth and maintaining good oral health at every stage of life is important. Good oral health is an indicator of an individual’s overall health, well-being and quality of life. It enables us to enjoy the benefits of a healthy, balanced diet, to socialise and communicate with others, increases our confidence and self-esteem and it helps in the prevention of long-term health conditions.

Achieving a healthy smile that will last a lifetime

  • It’s very important to keep your teeth and gums clean and healthy while you're pregnant. Dental care is also free during pregnancy and up to 12 months after baby is born. Oral Health Advice in Pregnancy  has some practical tips and advice.
  • Getting teeth off to the best start is important. Whether you are breastfeeding, bottle feeding or introducing your baby to solid foods Start for life has some practical tips and advice.
  • Fresh fruit, vegetables and milk are important to a child’s general and oral health and make great snacks. You could be eligible to receive Healthy Start.  You can also use your Healthy Start card to get important vitamins for free.
  • All babies are different but most usually get their first tooth around 6 months. Speak to your health professional or pharmacist for advice on pain relief. Practical tips on managing signs and symptoms view Teething
  • Everyone should be encouraged to brush their teeth at least twice a day, last thing at night or before bed and at one other time during the day, with a family fluoride toothpaste. Start to brush teeth as soon as they appear and get your child into a daily routine view Cleaning Children’s Teeth
  • If you are a teenager looking at ways to improve your smile Teen Teeth may give you some practical advice.
  • To keep our teeth and gums healthy it’s also important to clean in between them every day using dental floss or interdental brushes. Speak to your dental professional for advice or view Interdental Cleaning
  • At whatever stage in life we all need to be eating a healthy, balanced diet and cutting down on processed foods which are high in fat and sugar. Making a small change can make a huge difference to our long-term health. For advice and tips on improving your diets see Healthier Families or NHS eat well
  • Fluoride is important in helping to strengthen teeth. In Tameside we get the majority of it via the toothpaste we use but there are other products available. From the age of 3, children should be offered fluoride varnish treatment at least twice a year. See Fluoride Varnish or speak to your dental team for more information.
  • Smoking, using smokeless tobacco and consuming alcohol can be detrimental to our general and oral health and are the two main risk factors for oral cancer. Make sure you examine your mouth on a regular basis, know what’s right for you and if in any doubt get checked out by a dentist see Oral cancer for signs and symptoms.
  • Keeping your mouth clean is just as important when you wear dentures. See Dentures for advice on how to care for them.
  • Everyone should see a dentist to have their mouth checked as often as recommended. It’s important that children have a dental check before their first birthday. To find a local NHS dentist see Local Dental Services, visit NHS Find a Dentist or call NHS 111
 
For information on how much NHS dental treatment costs or to see if you may be exempt from charges see Dental Costs
  • Be Well Tameside We can support you to make those small changes that can have big benefits to your health and wellbeing. If you want to:

Lose weight
Give up smoking, e-cigarettes or chewing tobacco
Have a healthier diet
Be more active
Have a health check 

 

Oral Health for Children with Autism

 
The British Society of Paediatric Dentistry (BSPD) has some useful information and advice for parents of children with autism, which can be view here.
 

Oral Health Care for People Living with Dementia

 
A person living with dementia may need additional support to maintain their oral health.
If you provide care for someone and need advice, including practical tips for helping someone brush their teeth, the Alzheimer’s Society oral health factsheet can be viewed here Dental Care and Oral Health.
 

Nutrition and Hydration in Older Adults

 
Enjoying a healthy, balanced diet is important to our general health and well-being but can change over time resulting in an increased risk of dehydration and malnutrition. If your mouth or teeth are sore, or your dentures don’t fit properly, eating and drinking can become difficult.
Find out more about managing Dry Mouth and Eat, drink and Live Well.  

Greater Manchester Urgent Dental Care Service

 
Patients who are not registered with a dentist can access the service between 8am and 10pm, seven-days-a-week view GTD Dental Service.
 
Patients who are registered with a dental practice can access the service between 6pm and 10pm Monday to Friday and 8pm – 10pm Saturday and Sunday.
 
Patients can contact the service by calling 0333 332 3800 or NHS111.


Promoting Better Oral Health in Early Years

If you are a childminder or work / volunteer in an Early Years setting in Tameside and would like to promote better oral health with the children and families you support we have an educational resource kit which you can loan free of charge. Resources include toothbrushing demonstration puppet, dentist role play outfit, large teeth and toothbrush, books and oral health activities. For more information or to reserve a kit email lynn.callaghan@tameside.gov.uk
 
Grow Resource Flyer

Grow Resource Flyer

Click here to access our flyer on promoting good oral health in Early Years settings.


A Whole School Approach to Better Oral Health
 
If you work in a local Primary or Secondary School and would like to incorporate oral health into classroom activities, there are resources that can help support you. 
 
Workforce training and development
 
A range of training opportunities and workshops are available to the wider workforce to enhance your role and promote better oral health with all Tameside residents. See our training schedule 2023/2024 for further information.  

Patient Information

 

 
For more information about promoting better oral health in your local community contact
Lynn.Callaghan@tameside.gov.uk