According to the dentist, food during the teething period shouldn't be anything special. You should just avoid sticky foods and, of course, follow the oral-hygiene rules that apply throughout life. A common parental mistake — after brushing, the little one is still allowed to eat something. In fact it's advisable to give only water, otherwise evening tooth-brushing loses its point. It's advisable to clean the very first tooth, and even a few years later to still help the child do it. Until the child turns seven or eight, only the parents are responsible for their offspring's dental health. And there's no need to think that milk teeth don't need careful care — supposedly they'll fall out anyway. The dentist calls such a belief the biggest myth and lists the reasons why caring for milk teeth is just as important as for permanent ones. So first of all — decayed and untreated milk teeth hurt. Not necessarily all the time — perhaps only when food gets in, and so parents may think the little one has become irritable and off their food for no reason. Another reason — from decayed milk teeth an infection can pass to the permanent ones, which can harm not only the teeth but the whole body's health. It's especially important that the child understands the importance of caring for milk teeth — then they'll care more responsibly for their permanent teeth too. Incidentally, about food — perhaps sweets should be given up entirely until the teeth come through? The children's dentist answers that this really isn't necessary — it would be unfair to take away from a child one of the greatest pleasures of childhood. But the amount of sugar should still be limited, and if we give the little one a few sweets a day, it's better they eat them all at once rather than one after breakfast, another after lunch and a third in the evening. After a treat, the teeth must be cleaned or at least rinsed with water.