Importance of nutrition, well balanced diet for expectant mothers for the healthy body with healthy teeth and gums.

Not to take any medicine without consulting a qualified doctor. They must always inform the health care provider about the pregnancy, so that any medicine, which can have adverse effect on teeth such as antibiotic tetracycline, which can cause discoloration of teeth, is not prescribed to her during pregnancy.

When born, baby's mouth is free from bacteria. The germs are transferred into the baby's mouth from parents during cuddling and kissing. It is important for parents to keep their own mouths clean and avoid kissing on baby's mouth. Also sharing of spoons and utensils etc. should be avoided as far as possible.

It has been observed that milk bottle is the major cause of early childhood caries so, mother should be encouraged to breast feed the baby for the 1st year and then to go directly to cup or spoon feeding rather than using nursing bottle.

After every feed the child should be given a sip of water to clear residual milk from the mouth and hold the child upright there after for five to ten minutes.

The mothers should clean the gum pads and the tongue of the infants with a clean, wet, soft cotton cloth after every feed. A clean/boiled soft cotton cloth is wrapped around index finger and then the upper and lower gum pads are to be cleaned in single sweeping motion each. After this, the position of the cloth should be changed and tongue should be cleaned in a sweeping motion.

When first teeth erupt in the mouth of a child, use of a soft baby tooth brush must be started.

Mothers should know that at the time of tooth eruption, children get itching sensation in their gums and tend to put different object such as toys etc. into their mouth. These habits lead to various infections and frequently result in diarrhea. Mothers should keep a close watch on the child's activities during this time. Fruits and rusks etc. can be given during this time to help in reducing irritation and development of chewing habits.

It is very important to take care of milk teeth since healthy, decay-free milk teeth create a healthy environment for the permanent teeth.