Dental care for kids should start even before their teeth come out. Just because you can't see the teeth doesn't mean that they're not there. Many babies are born with several teeth completely developed in their jaw. Wipe your baby's gums with a soft damp cloth after each feeding. It helps preventing the buildup of bacteria. After the teeth appear, start brushing them with a soft kid's toothbrush twice a day. As a kids dentist I recommend using fluoride toothpastes only when your child is pre-school age. Always use only a small amount of them. Kids usually swallow most of these toothpastes and swallowing too much of them can leave permanent stains on the teeth.

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Baby teeth usually become loose and fall out at the age 6-7 to make room for the permanent teeth. In some kids it might happen as soon as age 4 or sometimes it can be as late as age 8. You may want to consult with a kid's dentist if your kid has not lost any teeth by age 7. On the other hand, permanent teeth that erupt late are usually stronger as they had stayed longer in the jaw and are more resistant to cavities. Generally girls lose their baby teeth earlier than boys, but for all the kids it should be over by age 12 or 13. Baby teeth are usually lost in the same order they had erupted; first the two bottom front teeth followed by the two top front teeth, lateral incisors, first molars, canines and finally second molars.

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Tooth cavities in very young kids is one of my biggest concerns as a kids dentist these days. It seems that many kids start to have cavities in their baby teeth between age 2 and 5. Cavities are decayed parts of the teeth that turn into holes or openings in the teeth. A combination of factors cause tooth decays. Some of them are snacking frequently, consuming sugary drinks and of course, not cleaning your teeth properly. Also foods that stay on the teeth for a long time, like raisins, dried fruit, milk, ice cream, honey, sugar, cake, cookies, hard candy, cereal, chips and soda can cause cavities. Milk, juice, formula or other sugar-containing drinks stay on teeth for a long time and cause erosion which eventually leads to cavities (that's where baby bottle tooth decay comes from). That is the obvious reason why kids dentists observe so many tooth cavities and decays in kids. Snacking is quite a habit for kids, they love sugary drinks and sweet foods and they are not that obsessive with brushing and taking care of their teeth.

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As a children dentist, I have come across a lot of young patients with gum diseases. I had this patient last week who had generalized aggressive periodontist. It's a gum disease that usually starts around puberty and affects the entire mouth. His gums were inflamed and there were heavy accumulation of calculus and plaque. I referred him to our periodontist in the office to start treatment immediately. Scaling and root planing was performed to remove the tartar on the teeth and rough spots on the root to clean up where the germs and bacteria gather. His gum disease was not advanced and he didn't need flap surgery. He had not taken the signs seriously- he said it was just slight bleeding while brushing in the beginning- but when his gums became swollen, his bad breath would not go away with brushing and flossing, and he noticed a couple of roots showing, he decided to get it checked just in case. He was lucky as he had come in just in time. If he had ignored the symptoms for a while longer, he would have lost his teeth. These diseases are aggressive and affect all teeth and gum in just a short period of time. Early treatment is essential to save the teeth and gum from periodontal diseases. I advice all parents to take their kids for regular checkups with children dentist to detect any early sign of periodontal diseases and start the treatment in early stages.

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I think it was almost a month ago. A nine year old girl came in with her mother, crying hysterically. Apparently she had been at the playground with some of her friends when a swing had hit her and knocked one of her teeth out of her mouth. Fortunately her mother had the presence of mind to find the tooth and put it in some milk. That is the best way to keep the tooth until you get to a dentist; in a container full of milk or saline, and make sure you hold it by the crown, not the root, when you pick it up. If you manage to get to a dentist within half an hour, there is a good chance the tooth can be put back in its place.

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