Why good oral care for kids is vital and caregivers should heed dos and don'ts

Dental hygienist Elizabeth Valdivia, right, holds a stuffed animal so that Armani Allen, two, can learn good teeth brushing habits as he his held by his mother, Nicole Nelson, at the Children's Dental Health Clinic in Long Beach. — Photos: ALLEN J SCHABEN/Los Angeles Times/TNS

PRISCILLA Serrano did everything she could to keep her child’s teeth clean and healthy. She rubbed his gums twice a day with a finger brush when he was three months old. She brought him to the dentist before his first birthday. She weaned him off a bottle early, gave him healthy snacks, avoided juice, brushed his teeth twice a day and even flossed for him.

But despite her best efforts, Daniel still developed two cavities before his sixth birthday.