A Healthy Mouth 

for Your Baby

U.S. Department of Health and human services

National Institutes of Health

National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research
Before your baby is born—

What you eat when you are pregnant is 

important. Eating right will help you and your 

growing baby stay healthy. Follow your 

doctor’s advice for eating the right foods 

and taking vitamins.

It’s also time to think about how you’ll feed 

your baby. Remember, breast-feeding is best!
1. Protect your baby’s teeth with fluoride. 

2. Check and clean your baby’s teeth.

3. Feed your baby healthy food.

4. Prevent baby bottle tooth decay.

5. Take your child to the dentist. 



A Healthy Mouth for Your Baby
“What are you doing?” asked Ann. Ann and her friend, Maria, 

were watching Maria’s children play.

“I’m cleaning my baby’s teeth,” said Maria.

“But your baby hardly has any teeth!” said Ann.

“Yes, but my dentist said there are things I can do to keep 

my baby from getting tooth decay,” said Maria.

“But don’t baby teeth just fall out?” asked Ann.

“Yes, but tooth decay can cause pain for the baby. And baby 

teeth hold space for adult teeth,” said Maria.

What 

are you 

doing?


“What else did the dentist say?” asked Ann.

“She told me how fluoride protects teeth. She also said to 

feed my baby healthy foods and not to put my baby to bed 

with a bottle,” said Maria.

“When do you have to start taking care of a baby’s teeth?” 

asked Ann.

“As soon as they come in. Teeth can decay as soon as they 

appear in the mouth,” said Maria.

“I’ll have to start thinking of those things soon!” laughed 

Ann.

What else 

did the 

dentist 

say?


1.

Fluoride (said like floor-eyed) protects teeth from tooth 

decay and helps heal early decay.

■ Fluoride is in the drinking water of many towns and cities.

Ask your dentist or doctor if your water has fluoride in it. 

If it doesn’t, talk to your dentist or doctor about giving you a 

prescription for fluoride drops for your baby.

Protect Your Baby’s 

Teeth With Fluoride

Hi.

May I ask 

the dentist if I need 

to give my baby 

fluoride drops?




Check your baby’s teeth

Healthy teeth should be all one color. If you see spots or 

stains on the teeth, take your baby to your dentist.

Clean your baby’s teeth

as soon as they come in with 

a clean, soft cloth or a baby’s 

toothbrush. Clean the teeth at 

least once a day. It’s best

to clean them right

before bedtime.

At about age 2, most of your child’s teeth will be in. 

Now you can start brushing them with a small drop of fluoride 

toothpaste. Use a drop of toothpaste 

about as big as this— 

2. Check and Clean

Your Baby’s Teeth

Young children cannot get their teeth clean by themselves. 

Until they are 7 or 8 years old, you will need to help them 

brush. Try brushing their teeth first and then letting them finish. 

And be sure that you put the toothpaste on the brush—use only 

a pea-sized amount of toothpaste.
3. Feed Your Baby

Healthy Food

Choose foods that do not have a lot of sugar in them. 

Give your child fruits and vegetables instead of candy and 

cookies. 


■ Do not put your baby 

to bed with a bottle at 

 night or at nap time.

(If you put your baby 

to bed with a bottle, 

fill it only with water.)

Milk, formula, juices, and 

other sweet drinks such as

soda all have sugar in 

them. Sucking on a bottle 

filled with liquids that 

have sugar in them can cause tooth decay. Decayed teeth can 

cause pain and can cost a lot to fill.

■ During the day, do not give your baby a bottle filled with 

sweet drinks to use like a pacifier.

■ If your baby uses a pacifier, 

do not dip it in anything

sweet like sugar or honey.

■ Near his first birthday, you

should teach your child to

drink from a cup instead of 

a bottle.

4. Prevent Baby Bottle

Tooth Decay




5. Take Your Child

To the Dentist

Ask your dentist when to bring your child in for his first visit. 

Usually, the dentist will want to see a child by his first birthday. At this first visit, your dentist can quickly check your child’s 

teeth.

For additional copies of this booklet contact:

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

National Institutes of Health

NIH Publication No. 06-2884 

Reprinted April 2006

National Institute of Dental

and Craniofacial Research

National Oral Health Information Clearinghouse

1 NOHIC Way

Bethesda, MD 20892-3500

301-402-7364

www.nidcr.nih.gov

This publication is not copyrighted.

Make as many photocopies as you need.