Wednesday, May 17, 2017

Baby Bottle Tooth Decay

Baby teeth require care as soon as they emerge. The Oyster Baby Family Dentists want to help parents maintain their children’s oral health, and part of doing that is alerting them to the danger of Baby Bottle Tooth Decay, a pattern of decay on babies’ front teeth that results from overexposure to sugar.


The risk sugar poses to teeth has more to do with how long it is left on teeth than on the amount of intake. Although most parents know not to put juice or other sugary drinks in baby bottles, they may not be aware that milk and formula contain enough sugar to cause problems if not wiped off the child’s teeth quickly. Unfortunately, babies aren’t usually given water along with nutritional drinks, so their teeth aren’t being rinsed. And, just as snacking all day without brushing their teeth in between increases older children’s risk of tooth decay, drinking from a bottle for a long time increases babies’ exposure to sugar.


Limiting the amount of time babies have bottles and providing them with water are two of the most important ways of preventing Baby Bottle Tooth Decay. But it is a good idea anyway to make the switch to cups around their first birthday.


Drs. Denise VeyVoda and Robert G. West operate The Oyster Bay Family Dentists at 123 South Street, Oyster Bay, New York, 11771. To schedule an appointment, call 516-922-5730 or visit OysterBayDentists.com and fill out a contact sheet.


 

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