Dental Care
Your Kids' Teeth

Dental Care for Newborns

Tooth decay in infants, called baby bottle tooth decay, is a problem that can seriously damage a baby's teeth. It happens when sweetened liquids like juice are given too often, or left on the teeth too long.

• Never put your baby to bed with a bottle
• Only give your baby a bottle during meals
• Teach your baby to drink from a cup as early as possible
• Clean your baby's mouth every day

Dental Care for Children

By the time children are three years old, their baby teeth have come in. Parents need to check the spacing between the teeth to make sure that the larger adult teeth will have room to grow properly and to prevent tooth decay.

From the ages of six to twelve, it's important to see whether the adult teeth are coming in. If they haven't by age six, a dentist should take an x-ray to determine that all adult teeth are in the jaw and show signs of coming in, rule out any bite problems and make sure the teeth are clean and healthy.

Dental Care for Adolescents

For teenagers, hormonal changes may make the gums very sensitive. This is also a time when teenagers can be under a lot of pressure to use tobacco, drugs and alcohol - activities that can hurt their oral health. Parents need to talk with them about activities that can be harmful.

Regular Dental Visits Are Essential

The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends that most children have dental check-ups twice a year. Many parents wonder why these visits are necessary if their child has never had a cavity, but there's a good reason: Regular dental visits can keep cavities from developing in the first place. And, the dentist looks for any changes in your child's oral health on an ongoing basis.