Important Suggestions About Dental Care For Baby Protect Your Baby's Teeth with Fluoride Fluoride(said like floor-eyed) protects teeth from tooth decay and helps heal early decay.  Fluoride is in the drinking water of some towns and cities. Ask your dentist or doctor if your water has fluoride in it. If it doesn't, talk to your dentist or doctor about giving you a prescription for fluoride drops for your baby. Check and Clean Your Baby's Teeth Check your baby's teeth Healthy teeth should be all one color. If you see spots or stains on the teeth, take your baby to your dentist. Clean your baby's teeth as soon as they come in with a clean, soft cloth or a baby's toothbrush. Clean the teeth at least once a day. It's best to clean them right before bedtime. At about age 2, most of your child's teeth will be in. Now you can start brushing them with a small drop of fluoride toothpaste. Use a drop of toothpaste about as big as this -- As your child gets older let him use his own toothbrush -- but you put the toothpaste on the toothbrush until about age 6. Young children cannot get their teeth clean by themselves. Until they are 7 or 8 years old, you will need to help them brush. Try brushing their teeth first and then letting them finish. And be sure that you put the toothpaste on the brush----use only a pea-sized amount of toothpaste. Prevent Baby Bottle Tooth Decay Do not put your baby to bed with a bottle at night or at nap time. (If you put your baby to bed with a bottle, fill it only with water. ) Milk, formula, juices, and other sweet drinks such as soda all have sugar in them. Sucking on a bottle filled with liquids that have sugar in them can cause tooth decay. Decayed teeth can cause pain and can cost a lot to fill. During the day, do not give your baby a bottle filled with sweet drinks to use like a pacifier. If your baby uses a pacifier, do not dip it in anything sweet like sugar or honey. Near his first birthday, you should teach your child to drink from a cup instead of a bottle.   Contact a local dentist to learn more about how to maintain your oral heath!