"They're just milk teeth — they'll fall out anyway." We hear this often, and it's the single biggest misconception in children's dental health. Milk teeth hold space for permanent teeth, shape speech, and carry your child through a decade of chewing. Here's how to care for them from day one.
Before the first tooth
Wipe your baby's gums with a clean, damp cloth after feeds. It clears milk residue and gets your child comfortable with the routine of mouth cleaning long before a brush appears.
The first tooth (and the first visit)
Once the first tooth erupts — usually around six months — switch to a soft baby brush with a rice-grain smear of fluoride toothpaste. And schedule the first dental visit by the first birthday. Early visits are short, friendly and mostly about building comfort.
The bottle rule that prevents the most damage
Never put a child to bed with a bottle of milk or juice. Sugars pooling around teeth overnight cause "bottle caries" — rapid decay of the front teeth that we see far too often.
Brushing until age eight
Children lack the fine motor control to brush well on their own until around age seven or eight. Let them start, then finish for them. A pea-sized amount of fluoride toothpaste is right from age three.
Make the dentist a normal place
Bring your child along to your own checkups. Avoid words like "hurt", "injection" or "be brave" — they plant the fear they're meant to soothe. We'll take it from there with tell-show-do and a lot of high-fives.