Education & Procedures
Early Infant Care
Establishing a "Dental Home"
Your Child's First Visit Our office, as well as the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the American Dental Association (ADA), and the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) all recommend establishing a "Dental Home" for your child by one year of age. Children who have a dental home are more likely to receive appropriate preventive and routine oral health care.
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When Will My Baby Start Getting Teeth?
At birth people usually have 20 primary (baby) teeth, which often erupt about six months of age. Some babies get their teeth early and some get them late. In general, the first baby teeth to appear are usually the lower front (anterior) teeth and they usually begin erupting between the age of 6-8 months.
They are then shed at various times throughout childhood. By age 21, all 32 of the permanent teeth have usually erupted.
Avoiding "Baby Bottle Caries"
Milk contains sugars that can cause decay. For this reason, tooth decay is common in young children but can be avoided by following a few tips:
- Avoid giving milk or other drinks in the bottle at night.
- Avoid nursing children to sleep.
- Do not put honey or sugar on pacifiers.
- Avoid "at-will" breast feeding once the first teeth have erupted.
- Start dental visits by your child's first birthday.
- Begin weaning your child off the bottle around 1 year of age.