Does pasurized cows milk cause decay if drunk from a baby bottle at night?
Any milk (including breast milk, cow’s milk, or formula) contains lactose. If given to a child in a bottle at night it will lead to decay. Pasteurisation makes no difference – this is to kill the bacteria in the milk, and does not alter the lactose in the milk or the decay-causing bacteria in your child’s mouth. Give your child only water in a bottle at night if a drink is necessary. The calcium in the milk will not prevent the decay. The reason that accidentally knocked-out ADULT teeth are put in milk for preservation is because: 1. it is readily available (there are better solutions but they are not something you’d have available), and it is cold; 2. it causes minimal damage to the cells on the root of the tooth that are important for them to survive and reattach the tooth into the socket. It doesn’t have anything to do with the lactose or calcium.
