We don't have to worry about how often we drink water for the health of our teeth. Remember that fruit juices and soft drinks contain sugar, which is a type of carbohydrate. If drunk frequently, these drinks, as for all carbohydrate-containing foods, have the potential to harm the teeth, particularly if children don't clean them every day with a fluoride toothpaste.

Many of these drinks are acidic too, and frequent exposure to acidity may also harm teeth. For this reason it is best to keep fruit juices, carbonated drinks and squash to drink at the same time as meals and snacks.

Whenever children have liquids other than water, encourage them to drink in one go (not one big gulp!) rather than sipping on them for hours and avoid 'swishing' them around in the mouth.

Nibbling on foods all day long can also be bad for teeth. We should all limit the number of times we consume any carbohydrate-containing foods or drinks to around 5 or 6 times a day.

What the dentist advises for healthy teeth:

brush teeth in the morning and before going to bed

use a toothpaste containing fluoride

visit the dentist twice a year.

Finally, it is important that after brushing their teeth at bedtime, children only drink water and don't eat or drink anything else.