Begin cleaning your baby's gums with a soft damp cloth even before teeth appear. Once they do appear, begin using a small baby toothbrush with a very small amount of non-fluoride toothpaste to clean teeth.

Don't allow your baby to sleep with a cup or bottle or walk around all day with a cup of juice. Limit the use of pacifiers. Discourage thumb-sucking after age two.

Take your children to the dentist by their third birthday. Ask your dentist about a sealant, a plastic coating, applied to the chewing surfaces of your children's permanent back molars. Sealants keep food and bacteria out of the teeth and are 100 percent effective in preventing decay in back teeth.

Ask your dentist if your water is fluoridated. If it is not, ask your dentist how to ensure your children get enough fluoride.

Feed your children a healthy diet and limit their intake of sweet or starchy snacks.

To learn more:

Fluoride and Fluoridation
(American Dental Association)

Fluoride and Fluoridation provides information about the benefits of fluoride and the different ways you can get fluoride.

http://www.mouthhealthy.org/en/az-topics/f/fluoride

Child Oral Health
(American Dental Hygienists Association)

This site has tips from dental hygienists on how to care for children's oral health. There is also lots of other information on dental care. Learn how to properly brush and floss. Instructions and illustrations at this site are clear and easy to understand. Oral hygiene information is provided for children, seniors, adolescents and adults. Some resources are in PDF format and require Adobe Acrobat Reader.

http://www.adha.org/resources-docs/7252_Child_Oral_Health.pdf

The link above requires Adobe Acrobat Reader. If you are unable to view or download this article, get Acrobat Reader here.

Seal Out Tooth Decay
(National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research)

Learn about sealants and how they can protect your child's teeth from decay.

https://www.nidcr.nih.gov/OralHealth/Topics/ToothDecay/SealOutToothDecay.ht
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Written by: Judi Berry, B.F.A.
Reviewed by: Michael J. Engel, D.M.D.
Last Modified: Monday November 28, 2016 10:33 AM