There is no such thing as starting too early when it comes to your child’s oral health. The habits, patterns, and care that begin in infancy shape everything that follows, from how your baby feeds, to how their jaw develops, to whether they grow up comfortable and confident in the dental chair.
At Lion’s Tooth Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics, we welcome your youngest patients from the very beginning. Whether you have a newborn with a feeding concern, a baby cutting their first tooth, or questions you are not sure where to take, we are here for all of it.
The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American Dental Association all recommend establishing a dental home for your child by their first birthday or at the eruption of their first tooth, whichever comes first.
We follow that same guidance at Lion’s Tooth. That first visit is not about extensive treatment. It is about establishing a relationship, catching anything worth watching early, and giving you the information and confidence you need to care for your child’s oral health at home.
Starting early matters more than most families realize. Children who have a dental home in infancy are significantly more likely to receive consistent preventive care as they grow, develop healthy oral habits earlier, and arrive at each new stage of dental development with a team that already knows them.
Your baby’s first visit is gentle, brief, and designed to be a positive experience for both of you. Our doctors will perform a careful examination of your baby’s mouth, gums, and any teeth that have emerged, checking for early signs of cavities, evaluating oral development, and assessing for any concerns worth monitoring.
Beyond the examination, we take time to talk with you. A first dental visit is as much about parent education as it is about the baby, and we want you to leave feeling informed and prepared. We address everything that is relevant to where your child is right now, which typically includes teething guidance and what to expect as more teeth arrive, early cavity prevention and when and how to begin brushing, fluoride guidance appropriate to your baby’s age and needs, pacifier and bottle habits and how to manage them in a way that supports healthy oral development, and any feeding concerns that may benefit from further evaluation.
No question is too small. New parenthood comes with an enormous amount of information to absorb and we are happy to be one of your resources.
For many families, the reason they find us in the earliest weeks of their baby’s life is a suspected tongue tie or lip tie. Feeding difficulties, painful nursing, poor latch, slow weight gain, and excessive gas are among the most common signs that tethered oral tissues may be affecting your newborn, and they are concerns that deserve prompt attention rather than a wait and see approach.
Dr. Greg Notestine leads our tethered oral tissue program and is one of the most experienced providers in the region for infant tongue tie and lip tie diagnosis and treatment. He takes the time to explain exactly what he sees, answer your questions thoroughly, and recommend a path forward that is right for your specific baby.
What makes our program different is the wraparound support we offer after treatment. Hannah Lacy, our certified oral myofunctional therapist, provides lactation support for nursing families and works directly with caregivers to teach the post-procedure stretching routine that is essential for proper healing and the best possible functional outcome. Finding this level of integrated support in a single practice is rare, and our families tell us consistently that it made all the difference in their experience and their results.
For a full overview of our tongue tie and lip tie program please visit our infant frenectomy page.
Teething typically begins between four and seven months of age, though the range of normal is wide. Most babies will have their first tooth by their first birthday, and the full set of twenty primary teeth is usually complete by around age three.
Common teething symptoms include drooling, fussiness, chewing on objects, and mild gum soreness. A low grade increase in temperature is sometimes associated with teething, though a true fever is not and should be evaluated by your pediatrician.
Safe teething comfort measures include chilled but not frozen teething rings, gentle gum massage with a clean finger, and age-appropriate teething toys. We do not recommend topical numbing gels containing benzocaine for infants, as these carry safety concerns that outweigh their limited benefit. We are happy to discuss what is safe and appropriate for your baby at any visit.
Oral care begins before your baby’s first tooth arrives. We recommend wiping your newborn’s gums with a clean, damp cloth after feedings to remove milk residue and establish a routine of mouth care from the very beginning. This simple habit does more than most parents expect, both in terms of hygiene and in terms of getting your baby comfortable with having their mouth touched, which pays dividends when toothbrushing begins.
Once the first tooth erupts, begin brushing twice daily with a soft infant toothbrush and a rice-sized smear of fluoride toothpaste. We will walk you through exactly how to do this at your first visit and answer any questions you have about products, technique, and what to expect as more teeth arrive.
Early childhood cavities are among the most common chronic conditions in young children, and they are largely preventable. The habits established in infancy set the trajectory for everything that follows, and our goal is to give your child the strongest possible start.
At infant and toddler visits we discuss feeding practices that affect cavity risk, including prolonged bottle use, nursing to sleep, and the introduction of juice and other sugary beverages. We talk about fluoride, both in toothpaste and in drinking water. We assess cavity risk individually and tailor our prevention guidance accordingly rather than giving every family the same generic advice.
If early cavities are identified, we address it as conservatively as possible, using the least invasive approach that will protect your child’s teeth and their experience in our office.
Pacifiers and bottles are a normal and often helpful part of infancy, and we are not here to make parents feel guilty about them. What we do want to help you understand is when and how these habits can begin to affect oral development, and what a reasonable transition plan looks like when the time comes.
Prolonged pacifier use and prolonged bottle use, particularly at night, can affect the developing bite and increase cavity risk respectively. We will give you honest, practical guidance on timing and strategies for transitioning away from these habits in a way that is realistic for your family and protective of your child’s oral health.
Infant oral health does not exist in isolation. The way your baby feeds, breathes, swallows, and develops oral habits in the first months and years of life has connections to speech development, airway health, facial growth, and orthodontic outcomes that will become relevant later in childhood. Our team, including Hannah’s myofunctional therapy expertise and Dr. Speier’s orthodontic perspective, allows us to look at your child’s oral development with a breadth of knowledge that goes beyond what a standard dental visit typically offers.
We are not just watching teeth come in. We are watching your child grow, and we are paying attention to the whole picture.
If you have a newborn, an infant, or a baby on the way and you are looking for a dental home that will take your child’s earliest oral health as seriously as you do, we would love to meet your family.
