Dental Care

Rough play or accidents can chip or knock out your child's baby or permanent teeth. Whenever a tooth is damaged, it's a good idea to see a dentist as quickly as possible.

Your child's teeth can develop cavities as soon as they come in, if proper care isn't taken. Nursing bottle caries (care-ees), or cavities, can form when a child falls asleep with a bottle of milk, formula, or juice still in the mouth.

Proper oral hygiene (high-jeen) begins after your child's first feeding, and continues for a life time. While an infant doesn't have teeth at first, keeping the gums and mouth clean will contribute to good oral health.

When an infant or toddler is teething, there can be varying degrees of discomfort. Painful, swollen gums are common, as are bouts of diarrhea, irritability, and restlessness.

Some children learn to comfort themselves by sucking their thumb, while others prefer a pacifier or a non-oral method. Thumb and finger sucking is a natural reflex, and can help develop the jaws and muscles around the mouth.

A child's dental development begins before birth, and continues for about the next 18 years. When your child's first tooth appears, you might begin wondering when the first trip to the dentist should be scheduled.

Your child's teeth begin forming in the womb, so teething can begin when an infant's only months old. First teeth have made appearances as early as 4 months, but it's more common for them to come in between six and ten months of age.