Helpful Hints for Healthy Young Mouths

1. Cavities in young children are primarily caused by candy, soda, and fruit juice. Of these three the most common cause of cavities in preschool children is fruit juice. Substituting fresh fruit for juice provides more vitamins and greatly decreases cavities. Limiting fruit juice to meal times and mixing juice with half water is also helpful.

2. If your toddler is using a baby bottle, limiting use of the bottle to 20-minute increments will decrease the incidence of baby bottle cavities. Letting your child sleep with a bottle is the most common cause of baby bottle cavities.

3. Once your child's first tooth comes into the mouth, it is time for their first dental visit. This can often be done at the end of Mom's dental appointment with your toddler sitting on her lap.

4. If you have well water it should be checked for fluoride levels and often fluoride supplements are needed. The right level of fluoride is a necessary nutrient for dental health. Too much fluoride can cause staining of the teeth, a condition called fluorosis. This is often caused by your child swallowing toothpaste during brushing. It may therefore be advisable to brush your toddler's teeth with a wet toothbrush and no toothpaste or fluoride free toothpaste until your child is old enough to understand the importance of not swallowing the toothpaste.