If you have been told by someone that bottle-fed babies struggle with tooth decay, you have heard the truth – sort of. The truth is that bottle-feeding is not necessarily bad. The problem comes into play when parents allow babies to fall asleep with a bottle, along with the type of fluid used in the bottle.
Even small babies can get cavities, which is caused by bacteria in the mouth, along with a diet’s carbohydrates. What happens is that sugar is turned into acid, being fermented by the bacteria. If this acid is allowed to linger on tooth enamel, cavities and other forms of tooth decay occur. If you have decided to bottle-feed your baby over breastfeeding, there are just a few special things to consider.
One way in which a baby can fight off tooth decay caused by acid is with saliva and swallowing. However, as your baby sleeps, the production of saliva decreases, as well as swallowing. Because of this, any liquids in the mouth stay there longer than usual. Therefore, if your baby goes to sleep with a bottle in his or her mouth, as the baby falls asleep, the liquid begins to pool, which then starts the tooth decay problem.
While milk is bad enough, filling your baby’s bottle with other liquids such as fruit juice, which is high in sugar, soda pop, or other types of sweetened beverages is just asking for disaster. For a baby, the teeth most affected are the front teeth, partially due to the sucking and the way in which saliva flows in the mouth. While your child may not develop immediate problems, if you continue to allow your baby to sleep with a bottle, tooth decay is inevitable.
Unfortunately, some parents do not think much about baby cavities since the child will lose these temporary teeth anyway. However, remember that in addition to damaged tooth enamel, the gums are also being damaged, which means permanent teeth can also experience tooth decay. Therefore, the key with any bottle-fed baby is to feed the baby and never put him or her to bed with a bottle, even milk.