Why is discontinuing the bottle so important?
The frequency that your child has his or her teeth in contact with sugars/fermentable carbohydrates (basically everything except water) is really the key. The bottle or the sippy cup, due to the way it is placed, puts the milk or juice right next to the teeth. And since kids “suck” on these liquids they are in contact with the teeth for long periods of time. This creates a situation that is literally like soaking the teeth in sugar. Primary (baby) teeth frequently and rapidly decay under these situations. The teeth that start to decay first are the front top teeth, because they are closest to the liquid and they are the teeth that have been in the mouth the longest.
