Your Children’s Dentist Explains Baby Bottle Tooth Decay

As a local children’s dentist, we often treat patients with baby bottle tooth decay.  This is the common name for babies and toddlers that experience tooth decay as a result of taking bottles to bed, nursing throughout the night, or using pacifiers that have been dipped in honey or sugar.  While these are all common habits, they do put children at risk for cavities.  If left untreated, your baby or toddler could start to experience pain and need emergency dental work.

There are several ways to prevent baby bottle tooth decay, including:

• Don’t send our baby to bed with a bottle. Though tempting, it is important to wean your child off of nighttime feedings once their teeth start to come in.  This also applies to breast milk.  Both contain sugar that when left on the teeth can become a breeding ground for bacteria.  Bacteria in turn creates acid that attacks the teeth.
• Never dip your pacifier.  If you are giving your baby a pacifier make sure it is clean and never put sugar or honey on it.
• Rub their gums.  Use a cool, damp washrag on their gums to wipe away any remaining milk and bacteria.  This will feel soothing to babies that are teething while simultaneously preventing oral health problems.
• Brush their teeth immediately.  The moment your baby has their first tooth go out and buy a rubber toothbrush to place on top of your finger.  This is the easiest way to brush their teeth, and they will typically bite down, without hurting you, to get pain relief while teething, as well.  You can also purchase a baby toothpaste and use it in small quantities.  Brush their teeth morning and night when you are brushing yours. We can show you how at our children’s dentist office.
• Give them water.  If your baby must have something to take to bed, give him a bottle full of water.  Water won’t harm a baby’s teeth and may still provide some comfort.
• Visit the dentist.  Babies should have their teeth cleaned at one year of age and regularly thereafter.  We recommend scheduling a teeth cleaning for twice a year.  This allows us to remove bacteria and plaque that can form cavities and cause gum disease.
• Eat healthy foods.  Once a baby becomes a toddler and starts to eat adult foods, it is important to give them healthy snacks and avoid things that are high in sugar content.

Baby bottle tooth decay is a serious problem that can cause children to be in pain and lose baby teeth prematurely.  This can hinder their ability to speak properly, eat, and erode confidence.  As a children’s dentist, we can help to prevent this problem through regular teeth cleanings and by applying fluoride treatments.  Fluoride is a mineral that will strengthen your child’s teeth so that bacteria cannot easily attack and infect them.  We recommend that your child continue to receive these treatments well into their teenage years.  Working together, we can create a plan to ensure that everyone in the family stays in good oral health.