Q: Most babies will begin teething when they’re around six months old (although it is not uncommon for age ranges to differ greatly).  Normally a baby’s two bottom front teeth come in first, followed by the two top front teeth.  If your baby is teething she may drool, need to chew on solid objects, become irritable, or have sore gums.  There are a few things you can do to help alleviate your baby’s discomfort:  Use your finger to rub your baby’s gums and apply pressure.  The pressure may help ease the pain for a short time.  Make sure your hands are clean first. Cold can sometimes ease the pain of teething.  You can give your baby something cool to chew or suck on to help alleviate the pain.  A cool washcloth, spoon, or teething ring work best.  Make sure the item is only cool, not frozen. Try giving your baby cooled hard food to chew on while teething.  A peeled and cooled cucumber or carrot work great; place the food into a mesh feeding bag designed for this purpose, or supervise your baby so the food doesn’t become a choking hazard. Depending on how painful teething is for your baby, you might also want to try medications.  Children’s strength acetaminophen and ibuprofen can help ease the pain. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist if you are unsure of the proper doses of medication. Ibuprofen is given only to children over six months old. Once all of your baby’s baby teeth have grown in, you can switch to brushing twice a day.  Until your child is able to spit out the toothpaste on his own, continue to use only a rice-sized amount of toothpaste at each brushing. Sucking on a thumb, finger, pacifier, or other objects is a perfectly natural behaviour for babies.  However, thumb sucking after adult teeth have grown in can cause permanent damage with how the mouth grows, how teeth align, and how the roof of the mouth forms.  Pacifiers are no better than thumb sucking when it comes to long-term damage to the mouth. It is a good idea to encourage your child to stop sucking a thumb (or pacifier) before adult teeth grow in.  One way to do this is to praise your child for not sucking on her thumb. You could also give your child a comfort item such as a stuffed animal or blanket to use when she is tired or wants to suck her thumb or use a pacifier. Thumb sucking is often a side effect of insecurity or discomfort.  Therefore, one of the best ways to stop thumb sucking is to address the underlying reason for it.  If your child feels insecure or uncomfortable, address that problem first, and thumb sucking should stop as your child becomes more secure and comfortable. If you are having trouble getting your child to stop thumb sucking, you can also consult with your dentist for additional ideas and even medication that may help. When your child is about two years old, you should start to teach spitting.  You need to encourage your child to spit out excess toothpaste instead of swallowing it. While it may seem easier to use water to help your child spit out the excess toothpaste, the sense of water in her mouth might actually increase the chances of swallowing.  And rinsing a mouth with water after brushing can also rinse away the fluoride that is beneficial for teeth. Babies and children learn a lot by watching what their parents do.  To help teach your child that brushing and flossing are good habits to get into, allow your child to watch you do these things.  You can even have your child imitate you while you’re brushing and flossing. Once your child is able to spit out excess toothpaste while brushing, you can increase the amount of toothpaste used to a pea-sized amount.  This normally happens when your child is about three years old. Even when your child is old enough to brush, you should continue to supervise until your child is at least six years old.  The main reason for continuing supervision is to ensure your child isn’t using too much toothpaste or swallowing it.
A: Soothe sore gums when your baby is teething. Start brushing your baby’s teeth twice per day. Stop thumb sucking behaviour when adult teeth grow in. Teach your toddler how to spit out the toothpaste. Create an example of good oral care by allowing your child to watch you brush your teeth. Increase the amount of fluoride toothpaste used. Supervise your child while brushing.

Q: Dip your trowel into the mortar to scoop up a small coating. Spread about 1⁄2 in (13 mm) of mortar over the left and right sides of the cavity. Finish by coating the bottom of the hole with an equal amount of mortar. If the mortar begins drying out while you're mixing and applying more mortar, lightly moisten it with a hose or misting bottle. Add another ½ inch layer of mortar to the brick's top. Even and smooth out the mortar before putting the brick in place. Pick up the brick and push it into the hole. Mortar will ooze out, so make sure you're still wearing sturdy gloves. Use the trowel or a tuckpointing tool to catch the oozing mortar and push it back into the spaces around the brick. Load more mortar onto one of these tools and push it into these joint spaces until they're full. After you've finished filling the joints, stroke a flat blade over the mortar to even it out. In addition to the trowel or tuckpointing tool, you may use a brick jointer. Blend in your work by making it match the joints around other bricks as much as possible. Let the joint mortar set up until it just gives when you press your finger into it, and then use the brick jointer tool to create the dimpled beveled joint lines. If the mortar is too wet when you create the beveled joint lines, then it may just scrape out of the joints. Use the brush to remove any mortar that has spilled over the bricks. Dampen the mortar first if it has begun to solidify. It's important to do this immediately or else you'll need muriatic acid or a commercial cleaner to remove the mortar. Take special care when using muriatic acid. Fill a spray bottle with water and immediately use it to lightly mist the new mortar today. This allows the mortar to cure properly. Do this once a day until the mortar is strong. Purchase a tarp and tape it over the new mortar right after you've misted it the first time. The tarp keeps the mortar safe from the sun and rain. You will need to pull down the tarp to mist the mortar, but after 72 hours it should be safe to remove permanently.
A:
Spread a layer of mortar inside the hole. Cover the top of the brick in mortar. Slide the brick into the hole. Fill the joints with mortar. Smooth out the mortar to match the rest of the wall. Wipe away excess mortar with a soft-bristle brush. Spray the mortar daily for 3 days. Cover the mortar when you're not misting it.