Baby Bottle Tooth Decay

Dentists use the phrase “Baby Bottle Tooth Decay” to refer to a pattern of tooth decay often seen in babies and toddlers which affects the front sides of their incisors. We at the Bridge Smiles Dental Group treat whole families, so we want to teach them to protect their youngest members.

Dental education materials aimed at children stress the danger of sugar so heavily that people may get the idea that it is the amount of sugar consumed which puts children at risk of cavities. But it’s actually the amount of time sugar remains on the teeth which is associated with decay. Older children and adults clean away some of the food trapped on their teeth by drinking water and tend to restrict their sugar intake to certain times, giving their saliva opportunities to wash their teeth. However, babies often are given bottles filled with milk or formula to suck on all day. This will keep their teeth coated in sugar without any way of removing it.

Fruit juice and soda have much more sugar than formula and milk and are inadvisable to ever serve in a bottle. Parents should also keep in mind that their children need water as well as milk or formula and that a baby’s access to a bottle should be limited. Toddlers should be taught to drink from cups as early as possible.

Drs. Meghadri and Grewal run Bridge Smiles Dental Group at 820 US Hwy 202 North Neshanic Station, NJ, and 15 North Bridge ST. Somerville, NJ. To schedule an appointment, visit BridgeSmilesDental.com.