During pregnancy women should still continue to have regular check-ups. As well as getting advice on their mouths, they can get some useful information on dental health for their new born child.

            Good nutrition from the mother during pregnancy is important for the baby's teeth to develop. Calcium in particular is important for strong bones and healthy teeth. Women who suffer from morning sickness shouldn't brush their teeth straight after being sick. First rinse your mouth with water, wait for 20 minutes and then brush the teeth.

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  Babies teeth appear in this order. However, some babies have late erupting teeth, sometimes as late as 1 year. This is not a problem, as long as all the teeth finally come through. Often it means the adult teeth will also be late erupting

        Try and get your baby to drink from a feeder cup from six months. Also try and avoid giving your baby a dummy. Both these things enable correct jaw and tooth development. A dummy can sometimes cause a lot of damage to tooth development. Teething rings and finger foods are good for teething troubles. There are a lot of old wives tales about remedies for teething, but often Paracetamol and Ibuprofen are the best for the discomfort- check your baby is suitable for Ibuprofen first!

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 Every time you eat or drink anything sugary, your teeth are under acid attack for up to one hour. This is because the sugar will react with the bacteria in plaque on your teeth and produce acids. Acids will cause cavities or gum disease. So it is important not to snack on anything sweet or acidic between meals. Just about the worst things for your teeth are: sweetened drinks like tea; fizzy pop, sucking sweets, or kids lolly pops.
 

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         Many processed foods have sugar in them. The higher up sugar appears in the ingredients the higher the concentration of sugar included. Always read the list of ingredients on the labels when you are food shopping. The so called diet foods like yogurts, are crammed full of sugar. The fat content is reduced but the sugars are put up to keep the taste acceptable. Remember that 'no added sugar' doesn't mean sugar free always. It simply means no extra sugar has been added. The sugars may be listed as carbohydrates.          

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Erosion is a more common problem these days, especially with young children. Fruit juices and fizzy drinks can be very damaging if consumed over long periods e.g. in bottles. Short baby incisors can be caused by erosion. A very good habit to have is to chew sugar free gum after anything fizzy or sweet. This makes you produce saliva that buffers the acid and neutralises it. If you can't get to a toothbrush then chew gum!

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