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Healthy teeth are an important part of your child’s overall health. Caring for them begins when the first tooth peeks through your baby’s gums.The first primary (or “baby”) tooth usually comes at about 6 months, but it isn’t unusual for teeth to appear as early as 3 months or late as 12 months.

Every child is different, but most will have all 20 primary teeth by 3 years. Sometime around 5 or 6 years, your child will start to lose his primary teeth to make room for his permanent teeth.

Proper dental care begins even before a baby’s first tooth appears. Remember that just because you can’t see the teeth doesn’t mean they aren’t there. Teeth actually begin to form in the second trimester of pregnancy. At birth your baby has 20 primary teeth, some of which are fully developed in the jaw.

Running a damp washcloth over your baby’s gums following feedings can prevent buildup of damaging bacteria. Once your child has a few teeth showing, you can brush them with a soft child’s toothbrush or rub them with gauze at the end of the day.

Even babies can have problems with dental decay when parents do not practice good feeding habits at home. Putting your baby to sleep with a bottle in his or her mouth may be convenient in the short term — but it can harm the baby’s teeth. When the sugars from juice or milk remain on a baby’s teeth for hours, they may eat away at the enamel, creating a condition known as bottle mouth. Pocked, pitted, or discolored front teeth are signs of bottle mouth. Severe cases result in cavities and the need to pull all the front teeth until the permanent ones grow in.

Parents and child care providers should also help young children develop set times for drinking during the day as well because sucking on a bottle throughout the day can be equally damaging to young teeth.

Regular tooth brushing and flossing can ensure the well-being of teeth and help them stay unaffected by bacteria and germs.Application of Protective SealantUpon the growth of a child’s permanent teeth, the application of a protective sealant on those parts of the mouth where a toothbrush cannot reach may help in preventing bacteria from staying there, provided that daily brushing and flossing of teeth is maintained. Also, if after the application of sealant, the child starts eating sweets excessively, the sealant cannot ensure protection of teeth.

Sometimes, even the most regular brushing and flossing cannot prevent a cavity formation where the child is highly prone to catching tooth disease. In that case, affected teeth must be duly treated and checked up regularly.In case of any breakage, readily growing decay or irregular growth of baby teeth, stainless steel crown should be preferred over other alternatives because crowns avert the decay from spreading all over teeth.If due care is taken to keep the child’s teeth healthy and clean, parents can enjoy a long-term benefit out of it in terms of being prevented to spend their hard-earned money for the dental treatments, surgeries and other cures like braces, implants or a major root canal therapy etc.