Baby teeth are temporary, which leads many parents to assume they matter less. They matter a great deal — they hold space for the permanent teeth, and decay in them is painful, common and entirely preventable.
Start before the first tooth
Wipe your baby’s gums with a clean damp cloth after feeds, from the first weeks. It removes milk residue and gets the child used to having their mouth cleaned — which makes the transition to a toothbrush far easier.
When the first tooth appears
Usually around six months, though anywhere between four and twelve months is normal.
- Start brushing as soon as the first tooth is through
- Small soft baby toothbrush, twice daily
- A smear of fluoride toothpaste — about the size of a grain of rice — under three years old
- A pea-sized amount from three years onwards
- Encourage them to spit, not rinse
Bottle decay — the most important thing on this page
This causes a great deal of avoidable damage, and most parents have never been warned about it.
Putting a baby to bed with a bottle of milk, formula, juice or any sweetened drink means the liquid pools around the upper front teeth for hours while saliva flow is low overnight. The result is rapid, severe decay of the upper front teeth, sometimes before the child’s second birthday.
- Never put a baby to bed with a bottle of anything but water
- Do not let a child walk around all day sipping from a bottle or sippy cup of juice or milk
- Move to an open cup from around one year
- Never dip a dummy in honey, sugar or jaggery
Teething
Sore gums, dribbling, chewing on things, disturbed sleep and mild irritability are normal. A clean chilled teething ring or a clean finger to rub the gums helps.
High fever, diarrhoea or a rash are not caused by teething. If your baby has those, they are ill with something else and need a doctor.
First dental visit
By the first birthday, or within six months of the first tooth appearing.
The first visit is largely about familiarity — a quick look, a check on development, and advice on feeding and cleaning. Making it a normal, unremarkable event early is what prevents dental anxiety later. A child whose first experience of a dentist is an emergency with toothache often stays frightened for years.
Ages one to three
- Brush for them — small children lack the coordination to do it themselves, however keen they are. Let them have a go first, then you do it properly
- Twice daily, especially last thing at night
- Start cleaning between teeth once any two teeth touch
- Limit sugary snacks and drinks — frequency matters more than quantity
- Watch for white or brown marks near the gum line on the upper front teeth, the earliest sign of bottle decay
Ages three to six
- Supervise brushing until at least age seven or eight
- Discourage thumb sucking past four or five — it pushes the upper front teeth forward
- Ask about fissure sealants for the first permanent molars, which arrive around age six
- An orthodontic assessment around seven to nine is worth having
If a baby tooth decays
It should be treated, not left to fall out. Decay is painful, can infect the developing permanent tooth beneath, and premature loss lets neighbouring teeth drift into the space — causing crowding years later.
Children’s check-ups at our Madan Mahal clinic. Call 8359017239.
