Pro Tip 1: Clean the gum pads, teeth and tongue after every feed.

Pro Tip 2: Pay special attention to cleaning after night-time feeds. Teeth don’t like spending long hours with milk residues, it causes them to melt.

Pro tips to inculcate a brushing habit in your little one:

1. Make it a family activity so everyone is involved. When you brush in front of them and make it look like fun, they will just mirror you.

2. Turn brushing into a game. Let them play with the toothbrush, brushing the teeth of all their dolls and animals.

3. Play pretend with them and let them brush your teeth.

4. Count each tooth they brush and give them a round of applause for each time they clean all their teeth patiently.

5. Stand in front of a mirror so they can see how to go over each tooth properly.

6. Play a song they like in the background and encourage them to brush for the duration of the song. Over time the song becomes synonymous with tooth brushing and brushing becomes an activity they enjoy.

7. Get them funky toothbrushes with their favourite animals on them and make it an activity by saying things like, “Look who is coming to give your teeth a bath!”

Nursing bottle caries is extremely common due to bottle feeding and long hours of no cleaning. It is extremely important to contain it before your baby’s teeth start getting seriously infected. You can use these tips as guidelines for a proper dental care regime, and if your young ones get used to this regime their teeth will remain healthy from childhood till adulthood. They’re simple habits but give you a lifetime of benefits if followed regularly.