You can even start brushing your baby's teeth as soon as the first tooth appears, and it's best to wean babies by their first birthday and begin offering liquids in a cup.

What to look for...
Dull white spots or lines on the teeth may be the first signs of cavities. If you do suspect that your child may have baby bottle tooth decay, see your dentist right away.

What to expect...
A child will normally have all twenty primary teeth by the age of three. By age five permanant teeth will begin replacing primary teeth. However, if a primary tooth is lost early, whether to tooth decay or to an accident, surrounding teeth may shift position or tip into the vacant space. If this occurs, a permanent tooth may not have enough room to grow in properly, and come in crooked or rotated. However, the space left by a lost tooth can be kept open by a space maintainer fitted and placed by your dentist, pediatric dentist or orthodontist. This will allow the permanent tooth to position itself properly, and will then be removed by your dentist when the permanent tooth is ready to erupt. A space maintainer can be attached to one tooth or to teeth on opposite sides of the vacant space, and can be a removable appliance as well.

While taking away from a nice smile, crooked teeth are also difficult to clean and are more susceptible to decay. Chewing is more difficult and crooked teeth tend to wear down quicker than straight teeth. Ensuring that baby's primary teeth remain healthy will result in healthy permanent teeth. If you have questions about your baby's teeth or if your child has lost a primary tooth, talk to Dr. DiPaula.