Baby Bottle Teeth Decay
Most parents often ignore the decay or cavities in their baby's teeth. The teeth decay in a baby's teeth is also called baby bottle tooth decay (Early childhood caries)
Taking the necessary precautions to avoid tooth decay in your children should begin before your child receives his first tooth. Regular visits to your pediatric dentist will help you learn how to maintain your baby's teeth and gums clean and cavity-free throughout their early years and teach your child oral care habits as they grow.
What are the causes of Baby Bottle Tooth Decay?
The Baby bottle Tooth Decay often occurs in infants with extended feeding habits and toddlers who use a pacifier in sugar, juice, or honey.
Sweet and acidic drinks that adhere to a baby's teeth cause tooth decay in babies.
What are the symptoms that I should look out for?
It is crucial to realize that bottle tooth decay can affect a baby's teeth. Brown or dark patches occur on the teeth, and if the condition worsens, the child might experience swelling and pain on his gums and around his teeth. If tooth decay is left untreated, it can lead to a variety of problems, including:
- Severe discomfort
- Infection
- Difficulty in speaking
- Problems with chewing
- Smiling issues
Your baby's baby teeth hold the space for their adult teeth, and if they are not cared for, the teeth might fall out prematurely. It might result in crooked or crowded adult teeth.
How Can I Prevent Tooth Decay From Bottles?
You can prevent baby bottle tooth decay in your child by being conscious about their feeding habits and caring for their teeth. Follow the following tips to keep your baby's teeth healthy.
- Bottle teeth decay can be avoided by not putting your infant to sleep with a bottle of milk, formula, or juice.
- Avoid sugars (refined carbohydrates), processed and packaged food till the age of 2 years.
- Avoid letting your child play with the bottle of milk, formula, or juice by sucking on the bottle for a long time.
- Encourage your youngster to start drinking from a cup from six months of age.
- Avoid using a pacifier, particularly if it has been dipped in honey, sugar water, or syrup.
- Plaque removal activities should begin even before your baby's first baby tooth emerges.
- Cleaning your baby's gums with a wet towel will help maintain them clean and healthy.
- Use a soft toothbrush and a small amount (about a rice grain size till 3years and pea-size till 6 years of age ) of fluoride toothpaste as soon as their first baby tooth erupts and 1000ppm of fluoride toothpaste in children who shows early sign of decay.
- Your baby's first pediatric dentist appointment should take place within three to six months of the appearance of their first tooth.
- From the very beginning child is exposed to whole food, natural food so the child develops the taste of the natural food, for that parent should themself learn to do correct food choices and family as a whole should be eating natural foods which are full of goodness and not processed foods which are full of sugars, salts, and oils which makes the food addictive which becomes difficult to correct in later part of life.
If you need to know more regarding keeping your baby’s teeth healthy, visit our pediatric dentist at Little Krishna Children’s dental clinic.
Read More on Early Childhood Caries Here