Chorevia

Day 348 of 365 · Week 47

Teeth at one

Last reviewed · 3 min read · 10 sources · Plain-text version

Brush twice a day with a rice-grain smear; a dentist by the first birthday or within 6 months of the first tooth; fluoride varnish; never a bottle in bed. Book the dentist today.

An East Asian mother on the bathroom floor brushing her fifty-week-old daughter's four front teeth with a tiny brush, the baby on her lap grabbing for it, morning light through frosted glass.

Seventeen days to the birthday, which is also a deadline the AAP sets for a chair most parents haven't thought about. Today is the teeth: the brush, the varnish, and the appointment to make.

Heart

Most babies get teeth between 6 and 12 months, usually the lower front teeth first, and some have none by the first birthday (AAP). Whatever is in the mouth, the routine is the same: brush twice a day with a smear of fluoride toothpaste the size of a grain of rice, and see a dentist by the first birthday or within 6 months of the first tooth (AAP). Brush after the last drink or food of the day, and don't put your baby to bed with a bottle (AAP).

Head

Fluoride varnish is the other half. The AAP and the US Preventive Services Task Force recommend it once teeth appear, and your pediatrician can paint it on (AAP); the AAP recommends it every 6 months, every 3 if cavity risk is high (AAP). In a Cochrane review, varnish prevented about 37% of decay in baby teeth, with moderate-quality evidence (Marinho et al., 2013). If your tap water isn't fluoridated, that's a question for the pediatrician or dentist about your baby's cavity risk (AAP). The guide's section is Caring for first teeth.

Body

The bedtime routine does most of the dental work without anyone noticing. The AAP's version is "brush, book, bed," at a regular bedtime (AAP), and the reason the brush comes before the book is that milk sugars linger on teeth and cause decay (AAP). A baby who bites the brush more than brushes is normal for now; the rice-grain smear is the amount for this age (AAP).

Try today

  1. Close on the mother's phone on the kitchen table showing only a calendar grid with one day circled in pen on a paper calendar beside it, the baby's hand reaching across the table.

    Book the dentist

    Time: One phone call · Growth, appetite, and teeth in the guide

    1. Call a pediatric dentist, or ask your pediatrician's office who they send one-year-olds to. The AAP's deadline is the first birthday, or within 6 months of the first tooth (AAP).

    2. Book the first open slot near the birthday. If there's no tooth yet, book it anyway; the visit is about the gums and the habits, not the count (AAP).

    3. Write two questions for it: is our tap water fluoridated, and when is the next varnish due (AAP; AAP).

    4. Tonight, brush after the last drink, before the book (AAP).

    Make it work:

    Put the date on the fridge list under the 12-month visit, so the two chairs are two weeks apart, not two years.

Watch for

  • Normal

    a cranky, drooly week with a swollen gum and a temperature that nudges up but stays under 100.4°F (38°C); teething doesn't cause a true fever (AAP; Massignan et al., 2016).

    Call your pediatrician right away

    for a fever over 104°F (40°C) (AAP).

  • Normal

    a toothbrush chewed more than used, for a minute, twice a day (AAP).

    Go to the ER now

    if your baby might have swallowed a button battery or a magnet, or can't swallow, drools, or gags after swallowing something (AAP).

  • Normal

    no tooth at all with the birthday in sight; some babies have none by one year (AAP).

    Call your pediatrician right away

    if your baby has great trouble swallowing fluids or spit (AAP).

For you

The mother at the bathroom mirror brushing her own teeth, the baby sitting on the bath mat behind her chewing a clean toothbrush, the father's hand reaching in to take it.

Your own dentist, if pregnancy pushed the visit back. A year of broken sleep and snacks eaten standing up is not kind to teeth, and the appointment that got cancelled in the third trimester has probably not been rebooked. Make it the same day you make the baby's. When you're in the chair, say you were pregnant within the last year; the CDC's advice is to tell any provider (CDC HEAR HER), and a dentist is one.

If you're the partner: two calls, two chairs. Yours is the second call, and hers is the one that's been put off longest.

Sources

This guide is general education that summarizes published research and guidance from groups like the American Academy of Pediatrics, the CDC, and the WHO. It isn’t medical advice, and every child develops on their own timeline. Your pediatrician knows your child; if something feels wrong, call them. In an emergency, call 911.

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