A: Melania, it's good to try to figure out why your baby has broken teeth and what you can do to prevent further damage to her teeth. Even though they are just her baby teeth, it's important to take care of them so she can learn to chew and speak properly, and so her permanent teeth will come in properly.

You're right that good nutrition will help your baby's teeth grow strong. Milk is an important source of calcium to help build strong teeth and bones. It's great that you're breastfeeding. If you're breastfeeding her only at night now, she'll need to drink 16-24 oz. of expressed breastmilk or formula during the day, either from a bottle or a cup. At 10 months of age, you should also be serving her three meals a day and snacks of baby food and table foods such as cooked vegetables, pasta, meats, cheese, yogurt, egg yolks, fruit, and cereal. Ask your pediatrician if your daughter needs vitamins. In general, if a baby is eating and growing well, additional vitamins aren't necessary. However, for babies who are drinking only breastmilk, some doctors recommend giving a vitamin D supplement. Also, if there is no fluoride in your tap water, your doctor might recommend a fluoride supplement to help strengthen your baby's teeth.

Do you have any idea how her teeth got damaged?

• Are her front teeth discolored? This could be a sign of Early Childhood Caries or Baby Bottle Tooth Decay. To prevent this, don't let your baby carry around a bottle and drink milk or juice from it throughout the day; and don't put your baby to sleep with the bottle.
• Are her front teeth chipped? Maybe she was teething and she put something too hard in her mouth, like a stone? Maybe she was cruising around on the furniture and fell onto the corner of the coffee table? Or maybe she got knocked over by another child and hit her mouth on the ground? Be sure your baby plays in a safe environment and that you supervise her closely to avoid further injuries.

Finally, it would be a good idea to have your daughter checked by a dentist to get recommendations for protecting her teeth in the future. Dentists now recommend that babies get their first check-up by 1 year of age.