We recommend and fully encourage that children should visit the dentist with their parents as soon as possible. This will let them get used to the noises, smells and surroundings and prepare them for future visits. The earlier these visits begin, the more relaxed the child will be and it will help to minimise the risk of dental disease and to instil good hygiene and dietary habits.
The main cause of tooth decay is not the amount of sugar in the diet, but how often it is eaten or drunk. The more often your child has sugary foods or drinks, the more likely they are to have decay. It is therefore important to keep sugary foods to mealtimes only. If you want to give your child a snack, try to stick to cheese, vegetables and fruit, but not dried fruit.
It is also worth remembering that some processed baby foods also contain quite a lot of sugar. Try checking the list of ingredients: the higher up the list sugar is, the more there is in the product.
Thorough brushing twice a day, particularly last thing at night, will help to prevent tooth decay.
It is also important to monitor the growth and development of the teeth and jaws to know if and when to intervene with orthodontic treatment.
