Babies generally grow their first teeth from six to seven months old. Some will see teeth appear at three months while others may take a year before that first tooth breaks through. It’s important to look after these teeth because they’re making room for the second set to move neatly into place once the child reaches about six years old.

Health advice for baby/toddler teeth

The first tooth can prove a problem for both baby and parent. Symptoms can begin a couple of months before the tooth appears with the baby experiencing pain and heavy drooling. Gums can also become swollen and your baby will start biting to get some relief. This can lead to lots of crying and sleepless nights

While teething, you should fit a teething rail to your baby’s crib to protect their teeth and gums biting down on hard edges and prevent any ingestion of paint or varnish.

Prince Lionheart Cot Rail Teether

To ease their suffering and alleviate inflamed gums, place some ice in a baby safe feeder. This product is a safe and secure way to feed an infant as it avoids any choking risk from small pieces of food.

Bibs n Stuff Baby Safe Feeder

If you’re one of the lucky ones, your infant’s first teeth may prove painless and soon your little one will change from having a toothless grin to one with jagged white edges peeking through the gums.

These are the baby teeth (or milk teeth) and the first two will appear in the front and on the bottom gum. Next will be the top two middle teeth and then ones along the side and back of the mouth. Once these teeth appear, you’ll need to keep them clean.

Cleaning your baby’s teeth

You can start to clean your baby’s first teeth as soon as they appear and once a day is usually enough to start with (before they go to sleep is the best time). Once they’re used to having their teeth brushed, you begin to clean them after each meal.

To begin with, use a very soft toothbrush with just water, no toothpaste. If your baby doesn’t like the toothbrush in their mouth, use a clean piece of soft fabric and wipe it over the gums and teeth.

Once your baby reaches about 18 months old, you may find your baby wants to try and clean their teeth themselves. You’ll need to help them for a few months and also keep a check on how efficient their cleaning is for the first few years. Use a soft brush and a small pea-size amount of toothpaste to remove any food particles and keep the surface of the teeth and gums clean.

Buy a complete oral care kit for your infant. This will contain a teether for the early months when your baby needs something to bite down on, a gum massager, dual sided soft toothbrush (to make brushing easier) and a toddler toothbrush for later years.

Summer Infant 6 Piece Oral Care Kit

Around your child’s second or third birthday, book an appointment with a dentist and make regular visits from then on. Learning good teeth hygiene and getting your child used to a dentist looking inside their mouth early on will hopefully lead to a healthy set of teeth for years to come.