Generally, teething begins when babies are around 6 to 10 months old. However, some babies start to have their teeth earlier or later. This is determined by hereditary factors, and varies between different people. If your baby still hasn't got his/her first tooth when he/she is 1 year old, you could bring him to the dentist for a check-up. 　

Eruption Time of DeciduousTeeth

How to manage discomfort arising from teething

• Drooling :
  Wipe your child ' s mouth frequently to keep his mouth clean and dry.
  
• Gum irritation :
  Gum irritation is common during tooth eruption. To relieve the discomfort, your child may like to chew a cool object. You can let your child chew a liquid-filled teething ring, which should be cleaned and chilled, to reduce the irritation.
  
• Swollen gum :
  Swollen gum is normal during tooth eruption and the swollen part is usually firm. However, it is not normal if the swollen gum turns red or blue. In such case, parents must bring their children to see the dentist.
  
• Irritable :
  Babies are easily irritated during tooth eruption. Parents should spend more time with their children. Playing games with them can distract them from the irritation.
  
• Fever :
  Tooth eruption will not cause fever. The baby may pick up anything to chew during teething that may increase his chance of getting an infection. If your child has symptoms like fever, runny nose and diarrhea, you should take your child to see a doctor immediately.

Parents should regularly clean their baby's mouth every night starting at birth

Aim

• To keep your baby's mouth clean
• To help your baby learn to brush and be accustomed to brushing when he grows up
• To get your baby accustomed to having a clean mouth

Steps for cleaning your baby's mouth

• Prepare a piece of gauze, cotton or cloth and a glass of drinking water
• Wash your hands thoroughly with soap
• Wrap the gauze, cotton or cloth around your finger and damp it with water
• Gently put your finger inside your baby's mouth. Wipe the upper and then the lower gum pad once.

Common problems for cleaning baby's mouth

• If my baby does not want to open her mouth, then how can I clean her mouth?
  When you put your finger near your baby's mouth, your baby will slowly open her mouth as she thinks that you are trying to feed her. Try it with patience and you should be able to make your baby open her mouth.
  
• What if my baby bites my finger when I try to clean his mouth?
  It is natural for your baby to bite your finger when you try to put your finger into his mouth. Keep wiping his mouth and it will be opened again.
  
• I cannot reach the gums at the back of my baby's mouth. What should I do?
  You can put your finger at the corner of your baby's mouth and then reach inside along the inside surface of her cheek until you reach the gum at the back of the mouth. At this point insert your finger gently in-between the upper and lower gums (as shown in the picture). Your baby will open her mouth and you can wipe the gums at the back.
  
• When is the best time to wipe my baby's mouth?
  Since new born babies have not established a regular feeding pattern, it is difficult for parents to decide which meal will be their last meal of the day. Parents can then set a fixed time to wipe their baby's mouth every night.
  When your baby grows older (over 6 months old) and has established regular feeding habits, you can wipe your baby's mouth after the last meal of the day.
  
• I fed my baby and wiped his mouth before putting him to bed. Yet he did not want to go to bed and asked for milk again, what should I do?
  The reasons for wiping your child's mouth after the last meal of the day are to get your child accustomed to cleaning his mouth regularly and going to bed with a clean mouth. Generally, it is only out of habit that children ask for milk before going to bed. Parents can feed them with water, or keep them preoccupied by patting, singing a song or telling a story.
  
• If ulcers (Aphthous Ulcer) are found inside my baby's mouth, should I stop wiping his mouth?
  You should keep wiping your child's mouth and try to avoid touching the ulcer. If it is not possible, then stop wiping until the ulcer has healed. In general, ulcers will heal within a week's time.

When the first tooth appears, parents should wipe their children's mouths and teeth every day

Following the eruption of incisors, you can start brushing your child's teeth with a soft infant toothbrush and drinking water. You can also use an infant toothbrush to get your child accustomed to toothbrushes, which will become essential when the molars come in.

When the first molar comes in, parents must brush their children's teeth twice a day in the morning and before bed at night.

For children under the age of 2, parents should pick a toothbrush with soft bristles and the length of the toothbrush head should not be longer than the diameter of a 10-cent coin. Make sure your child knows how to spit before using toothpaste for brushing.

To effectively clean your child's teeth, it is important to use a correct toothbrushing method. It is best to follow a sequence during brushing:

• start with the cheek side of the teeth
• repeat on the tongue side
• finally, brush the chewing surfaces of all molars
• When you brush your child's teeth, you can either let your child sit on your lap or lay your child on a bed, so that you can see the teeth of your child clearly.

Parents should allow their children to learn to brush the teeth on their own when they are 2 years old. Parents should get their children a new toothbrush, with the length of the head measuring the diameter of a 20-cent coin when their children are between 2 - 6 years old.

If your child knows how to spit, you can let your child brush his teeth with a pea-sized blob of fluoride toothpaste in the morning and before bed at night. Since your child's fine motor skill is not yet well-developed, he might not be able to master the toothbrushing skill and you need to follow up by re-brushing his teeth thoroughly every night.

Related Topic：Children can brush their teeth (PDF Brochure)

Many parents care about their children's nutrition a lot and feed their children every now and then. However, a bad dietary habit is the major cause of cavities! It is important that you help reduce the chance of your child getting cavities by reducing the number of meals your child takes.

0 to 6 months old

Parents should not limit the frequency of feeding their babies as children below 6- month old are too young to establish a regular eating habit. This is especially true for infants, whose main source of nutrition is milk. Therefore parents should rather work on the principle of feeding. Parent should:

• Stop feeding when their babies are asleep
• Never allow their babies to be put to sleep with a mouthful of milk or drink of any flavors
• Train their babies to regularly take 6-8 meals a day when they are 6 months old

6 months to 2 years old

• Feed your baby on a regular basis. When your baby is 6 months old, divide his daily food, milk and other dietary consumption into 6 – 8 meals. Feed him only with drinking water between meals
• Do not feed your child with more than 6 regular meals a day when he gets older
• Never allow your baby to be put to sleep with milk in his mouth
• Start using a training cup when your child is 12 months old. It is best to wean your child from bottle to training cup by the 14th month.

After 2 years old

• Don't let your child eat too frequently - After 2 years old, a child should not be fed for more than 6 times a day.
• Establish a regular dietary habit for your child - Each day, feed your child regularly with 3 meals in sufficient quantities. Provide your child with snacks only once between meals when necessary.
• Your child's favourite snacks and drinks can be included in these meal and tea times.
• Give only drinking water outside the meal and tea times.
• After 2 years old, a child must be weaned from bottle to cup. Feed your child with cups and never allow your child to sleep with a bottle of milk

Related topic:
Children's Diet and Dental Health (brochure)(PDF)

Parents always think that their babies' primary teeth will be replaced by permanent teeth so they need not have regular dental check-ups. In fact, parents should take their babies to the dentist for the first dental check-up within 6 months after the first tooth appears. Subsequently, they should go for regular check-ups every 6 to 12 months. The reasons are:

• Dentists can monitor your child's oral health by his yearly dental records.
  
• Dentist can give parents oral care advices according to your child's condition in order to enable your child develop good oral care habits at an early age.
  
• A child might have already established a bad dietary and oral care habit, or even have been suffering from dental diseases if he does not have regular dental check-ups until all primary teeth have erupted.
  
• Early dental check-up makes it easier for the dentist to examine your child's teeth in the future as a good rapport has already been established between your child and the dentist.

If the first tooth does not come through within 16 to 18 months after birth, parents should take their child to a dentist for an oral examination.

Preparing for your child's first oral check-up:

• Tell your child that the dentist will take care of his/her teeth.
  
• Describe to your child the surroundings of a dental clinic and jobs of a dentist. Play oral check-up role-play games with him/her.
  
• Tell your child the date for oral check-up so that he can prepare for it in advance.