What is Baby bottle tooth decay?

If you have a child, then please consider reading this article to know the basics of Baby bottle tooth decay. As the term suggests, it’s about dental caries in infants which occurs because of prolonged bottle feeding habits. 

Generally, infants with bottle feeding habits are the main targets of this type of caries. Due to drinking milk from bottles for a long time, the teeth get affected. This also happens because of prolonged exposure to sugars, sweet foods, fruit juice, soda  sweetened drinks. These sugars pool around the teeth of the child and cause bacterial decomposition of the tooth in the long term. Moreover, if hygiene of the mouth is not maintained then, baby bottle tooth decay starts to occur naturally within months. 

Moreover, children who are breastfed or use honey dipped pacifiers also have increased chances of getting caries because of the leftover sugars in the mouth while the infant is sleeping. 

How to avoid Baby bottle tooth decay ?

First of all,maintaining proper hygiene is a must in preventing baby bottle tooth decay. Avoiding prolonged hours of bottle or breast feeding patterns is also essential in preventing exposure of the teeth to sugars. Children should not be allowed to sleep with a bottle in their mouth. As soon as the child is fed, their mouth, especially the teeth and gums should always be cleaned by wiping them with a wet cloth with fingers. 

Dentists are always there to treat and guide you during your child’s teething days, so do not avoid them. Always visit a dentist between 6 months to 12 months of age during teething of your child to discuss about the pattern, problems and preventing caries. 

After your child’s first tooth erupts start using a soft toothbrush to remove the plaque from their teeth ,  using non fluoridated toothpaste of pea sized amount is enough for your baby. Brush twice daily to prevent caries and keeping those pearly whites healthy.

What are the late effects of baby bottle youth decay? 

If you leave your child’s tooth and not get it treated then these carious tooth will have to be extracted ultimately and hence losing the teeth early before actual time can cause many severe effects on your child’s life such as speech problems, misalignment, crooked teeth, changing eating habits, loss of confidence and self esteem, aesthetically unpleasing.

Thus if you are a parent to an infant then visit Today’s dental and get your child checked every month for bottle tooth decay to maintain a healthy oral cavity. We will be very happy to help you in treating you and your child’s problems and maintain a healthy environment for your visit .

So, book your appointment now!