Dental Health Week: A Five-Minute Check of Your Family’s Dental Habits
- Star Light Dental
- August 3, 2026
- [email protected]
Dental Health Week, the Australian Dental Association’s annual campaign, runs in the first full week of August. The message barely changes from year to year, because the things that protect teeth barely change: brush twice a day with fluoride toothpaste, clean between your teeth, eat and drink with your teeth in mind, and see the dentist regularly.
Most households think they do all four. Most do about two. Here is a five-minute check to find out where yours stands.
1. Brushing: Twice a Day, Two Minutes
- Does everyone brush morning and night? The bedtime brush matters most, because saliva flow drops overnight.
- Time someone without telling them first. Two minutes is longer than it feels.
- Is every brush soft, and less than three months old?
- Are children under eight being helped or supervised?
- Does everyone spit and not rinse afterwards?
Our article on electric and manual toothbrushes covers technique.
2. Cleaning Between the Teeth
Only a minority of Australian adults clean between their teeth every day, yet that is where most adult decay and gum disease begin. If floss has never stuck as a habit, try interdental brushes or floss picks instead. The best tool is the one that actually gets used. See our guide to cleaning between your teeth.
3. Food and Drink
- Is water the main drink in your house, and does it come from the tap? Sydney tap water contains fluoride. See what the evidence says about fluoride.
- How many times a day do teeth meet sugar? Frequency matters more than quantity, so keep sweet foods to mealtimes.
- Are soft drinks, sports drinks, energy drinks or juice a daily habit for anyone? See tooth erosion and acidic drinks.
- What goes in the lunchboxes? Muesli bars, fruit straps and dried fruit all stick to teeth.
4. Check-Ups
- When was each person’s last check-up? If nobody can remember, it has been too long.
- Have the children been seen since their six-year-old or twelve-year-old molars came through? Those teeth benefit from fissure sealants.
- Is anyone putting up with bleeding gums, a sensitive tooth, a broken filling or a sore spot that has not healed?
- Does anyone play sport without a mouthguard?
5. Are You Leaving Money on the Table?
- Health fund extras: most annual limits reset on 1 January, and unused benefits are lost. August leaves plenty of time to use them. See getting more from your dental cover.
- Child Dental Benefits Schedule: up to $1,158 per eligible child over two calendar years. See our CDBS guide.
- Concession card holders may be eligible for NSW dental vouchers.
6. Pick One Thing
Do not try to overhaul everything at once. Pick the weakest of the four areas and fix that one this month. A timer in the bathroom, interdental brushes next to the toothpaste, water bottles instead of juice, or simply making the appointments you have been meaning to make. Small habits, kept up for years, are what keep teeth for life.
Book the Whole Family In
Star Light Dental in Prestons is open Monday to Friday from 9am to 6pm and Saturday from 10am to 3pm, so you can book everyone back to back. Call (02) 9432 2833 or book online.