Childhood is the period in life when people are most vulnerable to cavities, and very young children often experience what dentists call Baby Bottle Tooth Decay. We want the families visiting Dr. Meyer’s Fullerton office to understand this problem so they can better care for their children’s oral hygiene.
When babies feed from bottles, sugar tends to accumulate on the fronts of their incisors. Although milk and formula may not be particularly sugary compared to juice, if the sugar they do contain remains stuck to babies’ teeth for too long, the teeth will be at risk for decay. Unfortunately, the sugar often does remain when babies are given bottles of milk or formula to swig from for hours but have no opportunity to rinse their mouths by drinking water. Older children and adults are also at a higher risk for tooth decay if they snack throughout the day, but they can choose when to brush their teeth or chew sugar-free gum, whereas babies are dependent on others to brush their teeth for them.
The easiest way to avoid Baby Bottle Tooth Decay is to limit the amount of time babies are allowed to keep bottles. But for nutritional as well as dental reasons, children should transfer to drinking from cups around the time of their first birthdays.
Eric M. Meyer, DDS, operates at 2720 North Harbor Blvd, Fullerton, California, 92835. To schedule an appointment, call 714-879-7943 or visit FullertonDental.com and fill out a contact sheet.
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