Baby Bottle Tooth Decay

Nursing Bottle Tooth Decay (NBTD) is a condition which affects the teeth of very young children who are allowed to take a bottle or sip cup filled with a sugary liquid to bed or at naptime. This condition can be very severe and debilitating for the young child as well as very difficult to treat, not to mention very expensive to treat. NBTD is totally preventable by making the correct choices very early in your child`s life.

It is important that you NEVER allow your child to take a bottle or sip cup to bed at night or during naptime that is filled with a sugar containing fluid such as milk, juice, fruit drinks or soda. The bacteria in the mouth utilize this sugar to produce an acid that remains on the teeth throughout the night resulting in damage to the enamel. This destruction begins as early as the first tooth appears.

If your child takes a bottle or sip cup to bed or at naptime, remember to provide them with only water. It has also been discovered that mothers who breastfeed and allow children to sleep with them and nurse during the night will also develop a similar form of tooth decay.

PREVENTION
- Give the bottle/sip cup to the baby only during feeding.
- Don't fill the bottle/sip cup with juice, fruit drinks or milk.
- Don't use the bottle as a pacifier or at least fill it only with water.
- Don't use the bottle/sip cup for prolonged times.
- Don't leave the bottle/sip cup to the child during sleep.
- After each feeding wipe the baby`s gums with a clean damp wash cloth or brush the teeth after the appearance of the first tooth.