Below is guidance from the American Dental Association (ADA) regarding your child’s dental care.

A child’s primary teeth, sometimes called baby teeth, are as important as the permanent adult teeth. We are born with 20 primary teeth, which typically begin to appear between age six months and one year. They help children chew and speak and also hold space in the jaws for permanent teeth that are developing under the gums.

The ADA recommends that a dentist examine a child within six months of the eruption of the first tooth and no later than the first birthday. A dental visit at an early age is a “well baby checkup” for the teeth. Besides checking for tooth decay and other problems, the dentist can demonstrate how to clean the child’s teeth properly and evaluate any adverse habits such as thumb-sucking.