If your child needs to be given fluids between regular feeds or when going off to sleep, fill a bottle with cool water or give your child a non-sweetened clean dummy. Don t use honey or glycerine or any other sweetened substance on your child s dummy. Sometimes the teeth change colour and become soft. Often toothache is the first sign. Have your child s teeth checked by a childrens' dentist or school dentist, even if your child is still very young.
Decayed teeth affect a child s appearance and can cause pain.
They can also become infected. Because young children often can t cope with dental treatment in the dentist s chair, they need to be treated by having a general anaesthetic in hospital.