1. Provide a good diet throughout childhood
2. Brush children’s teeth until they’re mature enough to do a thorough job by themselves (usually by 6 or 7 years old)
3. Supervise twice-daily brushing and flossing thereafter
4. Never put babies or toddlers to bed accompanied by a bottle of milk (which contains the natural sugar lactose), juice, or other sweet drink
5. Never dip pacifiers in honey or syrup