How to Prevent Baby Bottle Tooth Decay?

For many people, a child’s milk teeth are unimportant, particularly because they will just fall out and get replaced in a few years. However, baby teeth are essential for chewing and speech development, and are crucial to the growth of healthy and well-spaced adult teeth.

Have you heard of baby bottle tooth decay? Baby bottle tooth decay happens when cavity development or even tooth loss happens on baby teeth among infants and toddlers. This is mostly caused by prolonged milk bottle use.

Causes of Baby Bottle Tooth Decay

Baby bottle tooth decay develops because of frequent and long-term exposure of the child to sweetened liquids like milk, fruit juice, and syrups with sugar. The natural sugars in these fluids cling to the teeth of the child and feed on the bacteria in the mouth, producing acids that attack the teeth.

Symptoms of Baby Bottle Tooth Decay

The symptoms of baby bottle tooth decay affect children’s teeth but it usually happens on the lower and upper front teeth. Other common symptoms of baby bottle tooth decay that you should watch out for are toothache, tooth cavities, white spots on the teeth surface, swollen or bleeding gums, holes in the teeth, and fever caused by tooth or gum infection.

Treatment for Baby Bottle Tooth Decay

Tooth decay among infants and toddlers can be a critical problem when left untreated. Your child will continue experiencing pain, worsening infections, and possibly permanent damage to their gums and even bones. The good news is that there are treatment methods that you can explore if you suspect that your baby has baby bottle tooth decay. To get the best management option for your child, talk with your dentist.

If chalky white lines and spots are detected early, your dentist can apply fluoride on the teeth and suggest diet changes to re-mineralize their teeth. however, if the decay is obvious, stainless steel crowns or dental filling material is necessary to cover the teeth. If the decay has reached the center of the tooth in the pulp chamber, tooth extraction or pulp therapy can be considered.

Preventing Baby Bottle Tooth Decay

Baby bottle tooth decay can be prevented. Even when it is in its early stages, parents can do something to stop it from progressing. Here are several ways and tips to prevent this problem from occurring to your child.

Gently wipe your baby’s gums and teeth with a wet gauze or cloth after bottle feeding to remove excess sugar and dental plaque that has built up on the teeth.
Do not leave sweetened liquid in your baby’s mouth while they are asleep.
Start brushing your baby’s tooth once it erupts, which mostly happens by the time they reach six months old. Do not use toothpaste at this age; a soft-bristled brush should be fine.
Once all the baby teeth of your child have erupted, you can start adding a pea-sized amount of fluoride toothpaste to their toothbrush.
Encourage your child to drink from a cup once they reach six months old.
Start to wean your child from the feeling bottle once they are a year old.
Arrange regular dental checkups for your baby, starting from their first birthday.
By the time your child has reached two to three years, start flossing their teeth.
Visit the dentist as soon as you notice dental issues with your child.

Putting little attention on your baby’s teeth, combined with baby bottle tooth decay, can affect their long-term oral health and even self-esteem if left untreated. Fortunately, you can still solve this problem if it is detected early.