When should my child make the first visit to the dentist?

'First visit before the first birthday' is a piece of advice that you will most often hear. Your child should visit the dentist when its first tooth erupts and this is usually the case between the age of 6 and 12 months. Early check-ups and preventive care will protect your child's smile temporarily and in the future.

Why so early? What dental problems can babies have?

The most important reason for early check-ups is to begin with thorough prevention. Dental problems can appear very early. There is major concern about early childhood caries (caries in milk teeth, also known as baby bottle caries). Tooth decay develops when juice, formula milk, cow's milk, breast milk or some other kind of liquid which contains carbohydrates remains on a baby's teeth for a longer period of time. Your baby can get serious tooth decay if it is bottlefed during sleeping or at night or if it is breastfed continuously. The sooner your baby visits the dentist, the greater is the possibility of preventing dental problems. The children who have healthy teeth chew food more easily, speak more clearly and smile with confidence. You should help your child to start good lifelong habits of oral hygiene.

How to prevent baby bottle tooth decay or breastfeeding tooth decay?

It is important to urge your child to drink from a cup and that before the first birthday. You shouldn't let your child sleep with a bottle of milk. Breastfeeding at night whenever the baby desires it, should be avoided after the eruption of the first milk tooth. Drinking juice from a bottle should also be avoided. If you wish to give your baby juice to drink, it should drink from a cup.

When to stop bottlefeeding?

You should stop bottlefeeding your child between the ages of 12 and 14 months.

Should I be worried if my child sucks its thumb or any fingers?

Thumb sucking is considered normal in babies. Most children stop thumb sucking by the age of 2. If your child does not stop by then, you should encourage it to stop the habit by the age of 4. Prolonged thumb sucking can lead to bad positioning of teeth, overlapping or crooked teeth, as well as to problems with biting or chewing food. You should talk to your dentist about the ways of dealing with persistent thumb sucking.

When should I start with my baby's oral care?

You can start cleaning your baby's gums with a piece of gauze soon after birth and later, after the first milk tooth's coming in, with a soft child toothbrush and children's toothpaste. Bear in mind that most infants can't use a toothbrush efficiently because they don't have developed cleaning skills which require precise finger movement. Unless your dentist has advised you otherwise, you should use non-fluoride toothpastes by the age of 2 or 3 (until a child has learned to spit and there is no danger of swallowing toothpaste).

Some advice on teething.

Between the ages of 6 months and 3 years, during teething, your child can get inflamed gums. In such cases, children usually like to be given a rubber teether, a cold spoon, a wet piece of cloth or you can simply rub your baby's gums with a clean finger.