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Baby Bottle Tooth Decay
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Posted on 3/25/2016 by Cynthia Pelley |
 It is a common misconception that baby teeth are unimportant since they will unequivocally fall out anyway.
However, this is very far from the truth as healthy baby teeth are an essential factor in setting your child up for a lifetime of flourishing oral health.
Therefore, it is vital to protect baby teeth from decay as such could cause the tooth to prematurely fall out which in turn could lead to spacing issues come time for the permanent teeth to come in.
Where does Tooth Decay Come From?To date, tooth decay (also commonly referred to as early childhood carries, nursing carries or baby bottle tooth decay) is known as the leading infectious disease affecting young ones in their childhood years. Tooth decay will begin to set in when a baby's mouth is infected with acid-ridden bacteria that is passed to the baby generally through the mother or father's saliva. For instance, such bacteria may be passed if the mother or father eats off of the baby's spoon and then continues to feed the child.
Baby bottle tooth decay is also frequently a result of a baby's teeth being exposed to liquid (other than water) for extended periods of time. This does not just mean putting the baby to bed with a bottle of milk (formula, breast or cows) but also can be a result of allowing the child to drink other liquids (besides water) from a cup or bottle throughout the day. Baby bottle tooth decay of this kind can easily be avoided by only offering milk at meal time as well as by limiting other liquid consumptions (besides water) and additionally never putting a baby to bed with a bottle.
Signs of Baby Bottle Tooth DecayTooth decay in young children will generally present itself as subtle white spots on the gum line or the tooth itself. Easily unnoticed, as the decay progress the decay will eventually begin to appear on the tooth or teeth them self (generally the top front) in the form of a single (or multiple) round cavities as well as possible discoloration of the whole tooth.
If you suspect that your baby or child may have tooth decay it is important to contact our office immediately as further decay can be prevented.
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