Teething: Myths, Facts, Do’s and Don’ts

Photo by Chrisbwah

Eruption of the primary teeth usually begins between 4-7 months of age, although some babies won’t have their first teeth until 12 months or later. New teeth will continue to appear until about 3 years of age, when most children have the full complement of 20 primary teeth. Many parents await that first toothy grin with much anticipation, but teething can also be a source of some concern and questions. There are a lot of myths out there, both in terms of teething symptoms and remedies. Here’s the low down. Continue reading

Do we really need fluoride in our water?

The epidemic of poor oral health in young children, and the problems it can cause has been in the news. I recently wrote about how hard it is to keep young children’s teeth clean. (Thanks to some amazing reader suggestions, I’m happy to say that we’ve now got a great routine going that might actually approach two minutes of brushing.)  But, today I want to highlight an important public health measure that is helping many of us keep our kids teeth (and our own) healthier, and we might not even know it. Continue reading