From playing sports, to roughhousing with their siblings, many children suffer trauma to their teeth. Many dental injuries are sports-related, most commonly due to basketball or baseball. Making sure your child wears a mouth guard, helmet, and face guard during sports activities is an important way of preventing dental trauma from happening in the first place! Custom mouth guards are recommended and available through your dentist. Generic mouthguards are available over the counter at most drug stores.

According to a recent survey released by the national Ad Council, 75% of the parents surveyed said that their children either sometimes or frequently forget to brush their teeth.

This is very concerning, since  more than 51 million school hours are missed due to dental-related issues that could be prevented with good tooth care at home. No child needs to have a cavity or pain in their mouth!

What's happening?

When it comes to toothpaste, if some is good, more must be better, right? Actually, no!

Using the correct amount of fluoride toothpaste on a child's toothbrush is really important. Little mouths cannot handle all the bubbles and foam that a large amount of toothpaste can create. Small children could swallow or choke on the toothpaste. Swallowing too much toothpaste is not healthy. In order to make sure your child is using the correct amount of fluoride toothpaste, we have created a guide to help you decide how much to use for your child's age.

Paci, Binky, Nukie. Whatever cute name you and your child may have for it, chances are that a pacifier will be a part of every child's life at some point. Many parents and caregivers wonder if pacifiers can cause problems for baby's developing teeth and mouth. Today, TeethFirst! weighs in on this topic.

Why do babies use pacifiers?