It is never too early to start
teaching your children about dental care.

Proper dental cleaning habits can help your children keep their mouths and their bodies healthy, and will benefit them for a lifetime.

Infants
The moment your child is born, bacteria enter his/her mouth, and the dental battle begins.

• After every feeding, wipe his/her gums gently with a clean, damp cloth to reduce plaque buildup and to establish good oral care.
• Brushing should begin when the first tooth erupts.
• Always be sure to use an infant toothbrush and toothpaste designed for an infant.
• Brush/wipe your child’s teeth at least two times a day, especially before putting your child to sleep.

Infant Dental Care Q&A

What is baby bottle tooth decay?
If a baby is put to sleep with a bottle of milk or juice in his/her mouth, the liquid will lie on the teeth at night, allowing acid to develop and break down tooth enamel, which eventually results in decay.

When should I take my baby to the dentist?
Within six months of your baby’s first tooth eruption.

Toddlers
During the toddler stage, it is important you continue to supervise your toddler’s dental care.

• Be sure your toddler brushes twice a day, with a small amount of toothpaste, spits out any remaining toothpaste and rinses with water. (Check with your child’s dentist on when to introduce fluoridated toothpaste.)
• It may be useful for you to check your toddler’s mouth after brushing, or take over at the end to ensure all food particles are dislodged from the teeth.
• Floss your toddler’s teeth once a day to clean in between teeth where the toothbrush can’t reach.

Young Children
Keep it up! At age 6 or 7, most children begin to lose their baby teeth and permanent teeth start to take their place. It is now more important than ever to continue supervising and establishing good dental habits.

• It is generally recommended that you supervise your children’s toothbrushing until the age of 12.
• Encourage a good dental diet, which helps not only their incoming teeth, but their growing bones and bodies.
• Try to limit snacking—frequent snacks between meals continually coat the teeth in sugar, creating acid that gradually wears away the hard enamel that protects the teeth.
• Make sure your child visits the dentist regularly, and check with your dentist if your child is receiving the proper amount of fluoride to help prevent tooth decay.
• Talk to your dentist about dental sealants for your child—sealants are best applied when the first permanent molars erupt, around age 6, or when the second permanent molars erupt around age 12.

Pre-Teens/Teenagers
By the age of 13, many teenagers will have 28 permanent teeth. For an image-conscious teen, the idea of teeth stains, missing teeth and bad breath are ample reason to keep up with their oral care regimen. But, their lifestyles can keep dental decay knocking on their door, why?

• Soft drinks, sports drinks and juice are all very popular for teens, but can damage teeth in large amounts. Have them sip through straws and rinse with water afterward to help limit the sugar remaining in the mouth.
• On-the-go lifestyles can mean frequent snacking and less time at home. Have your teen carry a travel-size toothbrush and toothpaste, chew sugarfree gum and drink plenty of water throughout the day.
• Convenience is key. Stock your bathroom with plenty of floss and toothpastes and your kitchen with mouth-healthy snacks like cheeses, fruits and veggies.

The average 12-19-year-old male drinks approximately 868 cans of soft drinks per year!²

Why take care of baby teeth when they are just going to fall out?

Baby teeth are very important, as they are placeholders for permanent teeth, crucial for speech development, and essential for biting and chewing, and loss of baby teeth could cause your baby to not get the proper nutrition. Also, many children do not lose all of their baby teeth until they are 6 or 7 years old—decaying teeth or bad breath can affect a child’s self-image and self-esteem.

Make Oral Hygiene Fun!
Little ones giving you a hard time when you try to brush their teeth?
Try holding a stuffed animal’s arm while holding the toothbrush—making it look like your child’s favorite stuffed animal is doing the brushing!
-or-
Try singing them a toothbrushing song!

Brushing on their own?
Try having them brush their teeth to their favorite song—most songs last at least 2 minutes, the generally recommended time for a proper toothbrushing!

Help keep them from being a statistic.
Each year in the U.S., children lose over 51 million school hours to dental-related problems.¹

Wisdom teeth coming in?

Around 17-21 years of age, many young adults start to notice their wisdom teeth emerging, or their final four permanent teeth.

At the far back corners of the mouth, these teeth can erupt without problems or not at all, but many young adults have wisdom teeth that are impacted.

Impacted vs. Extracted
There are many different types of impactions, as teeth can grow in horizontally, diagonally or stay covered by bone or gum tissue. Often dentists recommend for these teeth to be extracted, which is the removal of a tooth.

See our Dental Health 101 on Wisdom Teeth for more information!