Good Oral Health Begins At Birth

Helpful Infant Tips

• Even before your baby’s first tooth, swab the gums with a clean, damp cloth after meals and at bedtime.
• Once teeth show, clean them with a soft-bristled toothbrush after meals and at bedtime.
• Do not use toothpaste until the baby is over 1 year old. Only use a nonfluoride toothpaste until your child can spit out the toothpaste.
• It is good to wean your baby from the bottle between 9 and 12 months of age.
• Do not put the baby’s pacifier in your mouth and then into baby’s mouth. Bad bacteria from your mouth can get into baby’s mouth.
• Take your child to the dentist for a dental check-up by age 2. Go sooner if your doctor refers you.

Helpful Sleeping Tips for Baby

• DO NOT PUT BABY TO BED WITH A BOTTLE - IT WILL HARM THE BABY’S TEETH.
• Give baby a warm bath.
• Rock baby to sleep.
• Start a bedtime routine.
• It may take about 3 to 7 nights of the child crying to break the bedtime bottle habit.