The road to a healthy smile begins before the first 🦷 appears.
Parents play a big part in helping their children’s develop healthy teeth and habits. Early monitoring by a pediatrician and dentist is important.
Steps to good dental health include:
- Regular care by dentist trained to treat young children
- Getting enough fluoride
- Regular brushing and flossing
- Eating right and drinking plenty of water
Baby teeth are important and set the stage for permanent teeth health. It is important to brush once the first tooth appears. Start with a damp cloth at least twice a day, after meals. Switch to a soft toothbrush and fluoride toothpaste as your child gets older. A rice size amount should by used for children under 2. For all children 2 and older, a pea sized amount of toothpaste should be used. Children do tend to swallow toothpaste.
The AAP recommends that all infants see a dentist no later than 6 months after their first tooth erupts or 12 months of age (whichever comes first) to establish their dental home.