Baby bottle caries (cavities) can happen to your baby’s or toddlers’ teeth. You may be thinking, “It’s just their baby teeth, they are going to lose them anyway,” but your baby’s first set of teeth are very important. Primary teeth help set the path for permanent teeth to come through. If you take out a primary tooth too early, the permanent tooth can come in off track and may not come out in its proper position. Alternatively, if you choose to leave an infected baby tooth as it is, the infection can travel up the tooth and affect the development of permanent teeth.
The most common cause of baby bottle caries is right in the name: from their bottle. Say you have a little one who only goes down to sleep if you give them a bottle of milk. The sugar in the milk is now sitting on your baby’s teeth for a prolonged period of time. Sugar mixes with bacteria and creates an acid that creates decay until the baby’s teeth are cleaned.
Avoiding baby bottle caries:
- After feeding, wipe your baby’s gums with a damp washcloth
- Reduce sugar in the child’s diet
- If your baby needs to sleep with a bottle, water is a good option
Your baby’s teeth are important, so let’s work together to keep them for as long as possible!
-Emma
Braeside Dental Centre
