What is “baby bottle mouth”?
It is often tempting to nurse an infant to sleep or let the child take a bottle to bed. These habits can lead to massive tooth decay as the sugars in the milk, formula, or juice are left on the teeth during the night. We recommend brushing your child’s teeth before bedtime and providing only water at night. This condition is also known as Early Childhood Carries (ECC). For further information on ECC, please visit the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) or the American Academy of Pediatrics.
The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry says that frequent consumption of liquids containing fermentable carbohydrates (e.g., juice, milk, formula, soda) increases the risk of dental caries due to prolonged contact between sugars in the liquid and cariogenic bacteria on the teeth. Poor feeding practices without appropriate preventive measures can lead to a distinctive pattern of caries in susceptible infants and toddlers commonly known as baby bottle tooth decay (BBTD), a form of severe early childhood caries (ECC). Frequent bottle feeding at night, breast-feeding on demand, and extended and repetitive use of a no-spill training cup are associated with ECC. Children experiencing caries as infants or toddlers have a much greater probability of subsequent caries in primary and permanent teeth.
It is often tempting to nurse an infant to sleep or let the child take a bottle to bed. These habits can lead to massive tooth decay as the sugars in the milk, formula, or juice are left on the teeth during the night. We recommend brushing your child’s teeth before bedtime and providing only water at night. This condition is also know as Early Childhood Carries (ECC). For further information on ECC, please visit the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) or the American Academy of Pediatrics.
