Learn the Best Methods to Care for Your Baby's First Tooth

Preventive pediatric dentistry has great importance in the lives of the parents, especially for newborns. Coming out of the first tooth is one of those milestones of the initial years of your baby’s life. But the teething experience might not be as sweet a memory as the other ones. It can cause a lot of tears, pain, and sleepless nights for the baby and you. The initial years of parenthood seem like a roller-coaster ride of feeling confused, stressed, amused, joyful, and so much more at the same time.
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The most common question that prevails among first-time parents is that when is their baby going to have its first teeth. In reality, there is no definite answer to this question. This experience can happen anytime between four to eight months of the baby’s age, of course, with some exceptions.

When Does a Baby Start Getting Its First Tooth?

In most cases, the first tooth starts peeking out around the age of 6 months. However, you cannot consider something ‘common’ to be the ‘ideal’ or the ‘best’. Each baby is different, and the signs of growing up can come about at various times for everyone. It may occur as early as three months or as late as 14 months. There is nothing to worry about your baby’s health in such cases. 

According to the pediatric specialists, your kid will have all 20 milk (temporary) teeth of the baby by the age of two to three years. There will be a few telltale signs that will indicate that your baby is about to have the teething experience, such as drooling, crankiness, slight temperature, chewing of different objects, etc. 

How to Care for the Baby’s First Teeth

​Kids’ preventive dentistry suggests that proper gum-care is crucial for the oral health of your infant even before the emergence of the first tooth. There are some tips that you should follow and some you should avoid. Here are some facts about the oral care of your baby:

• The preventive dentistry Bellevue suggests visiting a pediatric dental specialist within the first six months of the emergence of the first tooth. 
• Avoid giving your baby anything other than plain water before going to bed, as the sweetened liquids (even breast milk) can give way to early tooth decay.
• When your child is six months old, you should consider adding fluoride to your child’s diet. Also, you can use fluoride toothpaste on your infant’s gum.
• Never forget to wipe the baby’s teeth and gum after each feeding with a wet washcloth or simple gauze pads for removing the plaque.
• Never trust all the rumors without consulting your pediatric specialist and use any teething tablets, gels, or amber teething necklaces.

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​Maintaining regular oral hygiene from childhood is a must for a healthy smile throughout the lifetime. Every Mint Kids patient would recommend visiting their clinic at least once within the first six months of the appearance of the first tooth of the baby.