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A Healthy Mouth 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.		 Baby's teeth being cleaned
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 --

Toothbrush

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.

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