• Put an aspirin next to a tooth to treat a toothache:
Don’t — it will burn your gum and do nothing for your toothache.

• Use a hard bristle toothbrush to best remove plaque.
Don’t — the abrasiveness can damage your gum line.

• George Washington’s wooden teeth were prone to termite infestation.
Don’t — believe it; while Washington was an early denture adopter, his false teeth were not made of wood, but merely stained metal and ivory that gave his smile a grainy appearance.

Here are the best of the dental tall tales:

Myth: Baby teeth all fall out eventually so there is no need for dental care for young children.

Fact: Baby, or primary teeth can decay, become infected and painful, if routine dental care isn’t sought early on.

Baby teeth act as space maintainers allowing the permanent teeth to come into the mouth properly. Prematurely losing baby teeth (from decay) could cause teeth to drift and block out permanent teeth from growing in. A child’s first dental visit should take place by age one. Your child’s dentist should be monitoring and discussing with you, your youngster’s diet, hygiene, and oral habits.

Myth: Natural fruit juices won’t cause tooth decay like candy or soda will.

Fact: Westchester County, New York Pediatric dentists Dr. Jeffrey Ginsberg and Dr. Benjamin Dancygier advise on baby teeth and decay:

“Even 6-month-old infants can get decay, from going to sleep with a bottle or constant breast-feeding throughout the night,” says Dr. Ginsberg.

“All juices contain sugar which can cause tooth decay. The only safe drink for children is water,” says Dr. Dancygier.

Myth: It’s best to wait until my child loses all his baby teeth before seeing the orthodontist.

Fact: Waiting until all the permanent teeth arrive can result in two irreversible consequences: the need to extract permanent teeth due to the inability to correct crowding and missing a growth spurt without which extractions or jaw surgery is necessary. The American Association of Orthodontists recommends that children see an orthodontist at age 7 for early detection of problems and to assure proper and timely planning for optimal care.