Centrum Dental Centre - Important Patient information

• Teeth start developing in the first three months of pregnancy.
• An expectant mother should eat nutritiously. Health Canada has prepared guidelines on nutrition and healthy eating.
• Avoid tobacco, alcohol and non-prescription drugs to ensure a healthy pregnancy.
• Visit your doctor and dentist regularly.

• Baby teeth start to erupt when a child is about six months old.
• Baby teeth help your child eat and speak, and are important for overall health.
• Baby teeth are also called the primary teeth and help adult teeth come in straight.
• The eight front primary teeth start to fall out after age five, and the rest fall out by age 12.

• A well-balanced diet is important for the development of healthy teeth.
• Cheese, yogurt and milk contain calcium that make teeth hard and can help prevent cavities.
• Between meals, choose unsweetened, unflavoured milk or water instead of juice or pop.
• Fresh or unsweetened canned fruits and vegetables are excellent snacks.
• Whole grain crackers, bread, nuts and seeds are also good snacks.

• If your baby sleeps with a bottle, fill it with water.
• Clean the baby's mouth and teeth following all feedings.
• Avoid letting your baby sleep at the breast or with a bottle of juice, formula or milk as this can harm your baby's teeth.
• If a child falls asleep while being breast-fed, the lactose will remain on the child's teeth throughout the night and this can damage the enamel and cause tooth decay. It's important to brush or wipe the teeth clean.
• If your baby normally falls asleep while feeding, brush his or her teeth before feeding.

• Tooth decay is caused by bacteria that feed on sugar from foods, forming acid that harms teeth.
• All foods and drinks, except water, can contribute to tooth decay in this way.
• Limit carbonated drinks and natural fruit juices as they may contain sugar and acids that cause tooth decay.
• Fruit is the best dessert.
• Avoid feeding your child snacks containing sugar or sweeteners such as honey.
• Save sweets for mealtimes, when they are less likely to harm your child's teeth and when saliva flow is greater.

• Before your baby has any teeth, the gums should be wiped with a clean soft wet cloth after every feeding.
• Brushing should begin soon after the first teeth come into the mouth, so your child will get used to it.
• Brushing should follow meal and snacks and sweetened medications.
• Toothpaste is generally not required for a child under the age of two.
• For children over two years old, use only a small pea-sized amount of toothpaste and make sure it is never swallowed. If your child routinely swallows it, do not use toothpaste.
• Brushing at bedtime is most critical, because any food or drink coating the teeth will remain there through the night if it is not brushed away. Once a child goes to sleep there is no saliva flow. Saliva helps dilute the impact of the sugars on the teeth when the child is awake.
• Brushing should last two minutes. All surfaces of the tooth should receive at least 10 strokes of the brush.
• Parents should supervise brushing. Do not send your young child to the bathroom to brush their teeth without providing some parental supervision.
• Once the sides of the baby teeth touch each other, flossing should take place at least once a day.

• A child should visit a dental office by the age of one year, or when the first teeth appear.
• The greatest value of the 'first visit' is the establishment of a dialogue between the parent and the dentist concerning good oral health practices and the child's oral health needs.
• Bring your child to the dentist for regular check-ups by age two and a half, when all primary teeth are in the mouth, to make sure there are no problems.