Your child’s first tooth could start to appear in the center of his lower jaw at around four months after birth, or even earlier. By the time he is three years old, he should have all 20 baby teeth. When he gets close to six, his permanent teeth may be starting to grow and pushing out the baby teeth ahead of them. Between the ages of about six and 21, he will develop a total of at least 28 teeth – a whole mouthful of adult teeth.

An early appointment, for a specialist in pediatric dentistry to examine the child’s mouth once the first tooth has arrived, is a good idea. Even before the rest of the baby teeth arrive, the dentist can predict if any problems are likely to arise, and give you guidance on what to do about them, or on how to keep the teeth healthy.

A specialist pediatric practice will not just have a sterile waiting room where you can feel the tension and hear a pin drop. You’ll find an environment that makes the visit fun with attractive toys and activities that make waiting time fly by. All the staff will be specially trained to keep your children happy and comfortable. When it is all over and you leave, don’t be surprised if your children are keen to know when the next visit is due.

If a specialist practice is out of the question, ask your own dentist for advice about your children’s teeth and when you should have them checked. Any dentist can advise on oral hygiene for your children.

It is really important to supervise their teeth cleaning in the morning and again before bed. Find the right toothbrushes, small, with really soft bristles for limes, graduating into larger sizes as they grow. Make sure you also have appropriate toothpaste. That means checking the fluoride levels and ensuring around 1000 parts per million for any child under three, graduating to 1350-1500 parts per million for those between three and six. After their seventh birthdays, they can use the same toothpaste as you, and then you can teach them all about flossing and mouth-washes.

Start them off by doing the cleaning for them. Some parents find it easier to stand behind a little one with the hand not wielding the toothbrush gently tipping back his head from under his chin. Squeeze out just as much toothpaste as the size of a pea and brush all the areas of teeth and gums carefully back and front, using a circular movement for a total of two minutes. Teach them to spit afterwards rather than swallowing the toothpaste. Although a little is not harmful, swallowing too much fluoride toothpaste can cause discoloration problems later.

They’ll soon want to clean their teeth themselves, but you still need to supervise and make sure it’s done properly. Then remember to tell them how clever they are and how proud you are of them. This is the way to set healthy denial habits for life.

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