Start cleaning your baby’s teeth as soon as they come through using a clean cloth or a small, soft toothbrush
Clean your baby’s teeth twice a day – each morning and before bed at night
Children under 8 years will need some help brushing their teeth.
Toothpaste
No need to use toothpaste until your baby is 18 months old
For children aged 18 months to five years, use a pea size amount of low fluoride children’s toothpaste
For children aged 6 years up, use a pea size amount of adult fluoride toothpaste
Encourage your child to child to spit toothpaste out – but don’t rinse.
Tips to stop your child from getting tooth decay
Breast milk is best. If you are not breast feeding use infant formula
If your baby has a dummy, do not put anything sweet on it
Clean your baby’s dummy under running water, not in your mouth
Put your baby to bed without a bottle
Do not put anything sweet in baby’s bottle or cup.
If you are bottle feeding
Take the bottle way when your child has finished feeding
Baby should stop using the bottle by 1 year of age.
Food and drinks
Look for foods that are good for young teeth:
Choose healthy snacks such as fruit, vegetables, plain yoghurt and cheese
Plain tap water is the best drink
Avoid soft drinks, energy drinks, flavoured milk and cordial
Limit juices
Reduce sweet biscuits, ice cream and cakes.
Lift the lip
Lift your baby’s top lip once a month to look for early signs of decay
White lines along the gum line can be the beginning of tooth decay
If identified early, the progress of decay can be prevented
Please seek dental advice if you notice any changes in your baby’s teeth
You can make an appointment for your child from 12 months of age. To request an appointment see our online booking request page.
Baby tooth eruption chart
if your baby has teething pain, baby can suck on a clean, cold wet cloth or teething ring
where possible, choose sugar free medicines
ask your dental professional for further advice
This is a guide only, times and order vary.
Related information
You can search through to find related information.
Give your childs teeth a healthy start
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Give your child's teeth a healthy start: A guide for children aged under 12 months
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Give your child's teeth a healthy start: A guide for children aged 12 to 24 months
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Give your child's teeth a healthy start: A guide for children aged two to five years
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Dental services for children
SA Dental Service offers free dental care to all babies, all children not yet at school, and most children and young people at School Dental Service clinics.
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Health information about coronavirus disease (COVID-19) for South Australians. Find COVID-19 testing clinics and read the latest health updates and advice on COVID-19.
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