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Baby Bottle Tooth Decay

Baby bottle caries syndrome involves decay in the upper front teeth from twelve months to thirty-six months of age. Almost always, children afflicted with this syndrome have been placed in bed at naptime or bedtime with a baby bottle. The only acceptable liquid given to a child in bed is plain water.

Parent's responsibility:
To clean the child's teeth daily as soon as the child erupts teeth.

Dentist's responsibility:
To examine children at a very young age, offer advice to prevent this syndrome, and to correct the decay if it exists.


Prevent Early Childhood Decay

Liquids left on your baby's teeth for long periods of time can cause permanent damage.

MILD	MODERATE	SEVERE

You can prevent "early childhood decay" if you:

• Always hold your baby during feedings. Never "prop" a bottle.
• Discontinue nursing or remove the bottle from your baby's mouth if
  your baby falls asleep during feeding.
• Always put sweet liquids like juice in a cup.
• Do not put your baby in bed with a bottle filled with formula, milk or juice. If a bottle is needed to help your baby to sleep, use water.
• Replace the bedtime bottle with a special blanket or stuffed animal, or special bedtime routine, like singing a song, listening to a tape, or
  reading a story.
• Do not put carbonated beverages in your child's bottle.
• Do not allow your child to walk around with a bottle after mealtimes.
• Schedule a visit with the pediatric dentist when your child is 1 year or earlier if your child was premature or has a developmental condition.

Teething

Teething normally occurs from about six months to 30 months of age. Once a baby's first tooth erupts, other follow in clusters until all 20 primary teeth are in. During teething, many children become irritable, drool a lot, suck on their toys, blankets, or fingers, and /or lose their appetite. While some discomfort is normal, fever, ear tugging, diarrhea, and flu-like symptoms are not caused by teething. If your baby is experiencing any of these symptoms during teething, consult your pediatrician. You can ease teething discomfort by offering your baby hard, cool teethers, or frequent cool drinks of water.


Brushing

As soon as the first teeth erupt, you can start "brushing" your baby's teeth with a soft age-appropriate toothbrush. Later, if your toddler wants to try a little tooth brushing - great! But, you will still need to thoroughly clean your child's teeth twice a day as well. Preschoolers can brush their teeth in the morning, if their parents follow up with a thorough brushing at night. By age five or six, children can usually brush their teeth but continue to require parental/adult supervision and monitoring.

Fluoride

Fluoride is very important for preventing tooth decay. Be sure to tell your pediatrician whether or not your family has fluoridated water at home or if you family drinks a lot of bottled water. If your baby or child attends child care or school, find out whether or not the facility has fluoridated water. Also, infants and preschoolers tend to swallow toothpaste, which may eventually discolor their permanent teeth. Brushing with water until 2-3 years of age may be sufficient. Consult with your pediatric dentist for a specific recommendation on when to begin using a fluoride toothpaste for your child.