Everything we wish parents knew sooner

1. 0 to 3Our patients

   First tooth, first visit

   The lower central incisors usually arrive between six and ten months, and all twenty primary teeth are typically in by age three.

   At the practice

   • Knee-to-knee exam on your lap, about half an hour
   • Lift-the-lip check of the upper front gumline, where early childhood caries starts
   • Fluoride varnish painted on in seconds
   • A real conversation about bottles, night feeds and teething

   At home

   • Wipe the gums after feeds before any teeth appear
   • A rice-grain smear of fluoride toothpaste from the first tooth
   • Bottle finished before bed, then brush or wipe
   • Move toward an open cup between twelve and eighteen months

   Worth watching for. White chalky bands along the gumline of the upper front teeth. That is the earliest sign of decay and it is still reversible.

2. 3 to 5Our patients

   The practice years

   A full primary dentition, with the spacing between front teeth that looks like a gap problem and is actually a good sign for the adult teeth to come.

   At the practice

   • Checkup and cleaning every six months
   • X-rays once the back molars touch and we can no longer see between them
   • Habit review for thumbs and pacifiers
   • First proper ride in the chair, usually without a parent's lap

   At home

   • Pea-sized fluoride toothpaste from age three
   • Twice a day, and a parent does the night pass
   • Floss wherever two teeth touch
   • Treats with meals rather than spread across the afternoon

   Worth watching for. A thumb or pacifier habit that is still going strong at four. It is far easier to unwind now than after the permanent incisors arrive.

3. 6 to 9Our patients

   Wobbly teeth and new molars

   The mixed dentition. First permanent molars erupt behind the baby teeth around six without anything falling out first, and the lower incisors start to shed.

   At the practice

   • Sealants on the permanent molars as soon as the grooves are fully erupted
   • The age seven orthodontic check for crossbites, crowding and arch width
   • A mouthguard scan if a contact sport has started
   • Brushing coached against the new molars, which kids consistently miss

   At home

   • A parent pass at night until they can tie their own shoelaces, roughly seven or eight
   • Flossing becomes non-negotiable where the molars touch
   • New permanent teeth often come in yellower than baby teeth, which is normal
   • Water between meals, not juice

   Worth watching for. An adult tooth coming in behind a baby tooth that will not wiggle out. Call us, it usually needs a hand.

4. 10 to 13Our patients

   The last baby teeth go

   Canines and premolars shed, second permanent molars arrive around twelve, and the bite settles into something close to its adult shape.

   At the practice

   • Sealants on the second molars
   • Orthodontic timing reviewed at each checkup
   • Wisdom teeth first appear on an X-ray around twelve, so we start tracking them
   • Gum health check, because hormonal gingivitis begins in this window

   At home

   • Independence with a spot check, not a handover
   • Interdental brushes or floss threaders once braces are on
   • A replacement mouthguard each season, they outgrow them fast
   • Sports drinks are the single biggest new enamel risk at this age

   Worth watching for. Puffy gums that bleed when brushed. That is gingivitis, not a sign to brush less.

5. 14 to 18Our patients

   Their mouth, their habits

   A full permanent dentition apart from the third molars. Enamel is mature but the diet and the schedule are working against it.

   At the practice

   • Checkups booked around practices and exams, including our Saturday mornings
   • Whitening once growth and any orthodontic work have finished
   • Wisdom tooth position reviewed and referred if they are heading for trouble
   • Straight talk about vaping, energy drinks and mouth piercings, with the parent out of the room if that helps

   At home

   • Retainer wear if braces or aligners are done
   • A guard for grinding, which shows up around exam season
   • Brushing twice a day is the floor, not the goal
   • Their own reminders, not yours

   Worth watching for. Chalky white marks appearing around brackets. That is decalcification and it is permanent once the braces come off.

6. 18 to 19Transitioning

   Handing over the chart

   Growth is essentially complete and wisdom teeth are the open question. From here the care a mouth needs is adult care.

   At the practice

   • We care for patients from the first tooth up to the nineteenth birthday
   • Current patients are welcome through the summer after high school, so nobody is dropped mid-treatment
   • At the last visit we send records, X-rays and a short summary wherever you ask
   • We will name two or three general dentists in the Treasure Valley who we would send our own families to

   At home

   • Ask for a copy of the chart before a college move
   • Keep the retainer, it does not stop mattering at eighteen
   • Register with a dentist near campus rather than waiting for a holiday
   • Know your own insurance details for the first time

   Worth watching for. The gap year where nobody books a checkup. It is the commonest reason a first adult visit starts with bad news.

7. Grown-upsWe refer

   Parents, and grandparents

   We do not treat adults, and we would rather explain what changes than pretend it is all the same. Adult mouths fail differently from children's.

   What changes

   • Gum disease, not decay, becomes the main reason adults lose teeth
   • Dry mouth from common medications raises decay risk sharply in later life
   • Decay on exposed root surfaces is a specifically older-adult problem
   • Worn enamel, cracked cusps, crowns, implants and dentures are all general and restorative dentistry

   At home

   • The same two minutes twice a day, with interdental cleaning that actually reaches
   • Tell your dentist every medication, including the ones that seem unrelated
   • Book your own checkup on the same day as your child's if it helps you remember
   • Ask us for a referral, we keep a short list

   Worth watching for. Parents who have not been seen in years while their children never miss a visit. We see it constantly, and we will always give you a name.

General information, not dental advice. Every child develops on their own timetable and a few months either side of these ranges is normal.

Brushing, properly

1. Soft bristles, a small head, and whatever handle they will actually pick up. Manual and electric both work when the technique is right.
2. Angle the bristles at about forty-five degrees to where the tooth meets the gum, not flat against the tooth.
3. Short gentle circles in one place before moving on. Scrubbing hard scores the gumline and cleans less.
4. Four quadrants, thirty seconds each. That is what the two-minute timer is dividing up.
5. Do not skip the chewing surfaces, the tongue side of the lower molars or the back of the upper front teeth.
6. Spit, do not rinse. Leaving the fluoride film on the teeth is half the point of using it.

Run the 2-minute timer

Food matters as much as brushing does. The snack swaps below are the other half of this page, and the two-minute timer above is how you make the first item on the list actually happen.

General information, not dental advice. Ask us at a checkup before starting a fluoride rinse or changing anything for a child under six.