The Facts About Bottle Tooth Decay

“Bottle rot or baby bottle tooth decay is caused when milk sits on your baby’s teeth for an extensive amount of time,” says pediatric dentist, Dr. Cameron Fuller. Milk and other sweet liquids have sugar in them.  The sugar turns to bacteria, which then convert to acid, and the acid attacks the enamel. Although, your child’s teeth may be below the gum line, they can still be impacted by early habits

 

 Bottle tooth decay occurs more often on the top front teeth, however decay can impact any teeth if not taken care of or if good bottle habits are not developed from an early age.

If your child has decay from bottle rot it is important to take care of the problem right away, as leaving the decay in their mouth can impact them in multiple ways including creating pain, a decrease in overall health and it could even result in tooth extractions.

While baby teeth may not seem important, if your child does not have a healthy mouth it can cause problems for them when you begin to introduce solid foods. Dr. Fuller says, “If it hurts to chew it may limit the foods introduced causing your child to miss out on critical vitamins.” Baby teeth hold the place for adult teeth. Without the baby teeth to guide the adult teeth to the correct location, teeth may be crooked.  Your child may also struggle to speak correctly or to produce certain sounds. 

While babies are drinking milk often between the ages of birth to three there are simple tools and strategies you can implement to help protect your babies teeth while they are at this delicate stage of development.