The first step towards good dental health is prevention. Here are some great guidelines and tips to follow:

- Starting good dental hygiene at an early age can become a lifelong good habit, providing a lifetime of healthy teeth.

- Breast feeding is encouraged - not only is it good nutrition, but it creates and maintains a healthy bond between mother and child.

- Around the age of 6 months, your baby's first incisors should appear in the lower jaw. It is healthy to clean them after meals by gently wiping them with gauze or cotton.

- The first dentition should occur between the age of 6 months to 2 ½ years old. At this point, parents can then begin gently brushing them after each meal. It is recommended not to use a mint toothpaste, as it will be too spicy for your baby's mouth and can cause discomfort.

- It is a scary thing for a baby to get cavities, so control the intake of sugars to a minimum by avoiding sugars such as candy and soda. This also maintains good nutrition.

- At night, fill your baby's night bottle with water instead of milk or orange juice.

- Don't take chances with your children's teeth. Starting at the age of 6 months, it is a good practice to take your baby to the dentist for a check-up every 6 months. It eliminates the fear as it allows the dentist to prevent and catch problems before they become a major issue, which may also cause your child pain - which can ultimately result in a lifelong fear of the dentist and a lifetime of dental problems. It is amazing what tools modern science has created for children's dental care and prevention. A good example of this is when your child is about 2½ years old, there is a protective sealant that dentists can apply onto the biting surface of your child's teeth, which is more susceptible to decay. The sealant acts as a protective shield against things like candy.

- A great substitute for candy is fruit. Frozen grapes or watermelon chunks are a fun treat for kids and the fruit's sugar is not absorbed like candy.