Baby Bottle Tooth Decay

Bishop & Bishop Dental is known for the excellent care we provide families, and an important part of that is educating them about how to maintain their oral hygiene. Because children are at high risk of developing cavities, we want parents to be on the lookout for an especially insidious problem known among dentists as Baby Bottle Tooth Decay.

A baby’s teeth become vulnerable to decay as soon as they begin to erupt. The first to come in are usually the front teeth, the incisors, and the fronts of the front teeth tend to get coated the most by milk or formula from a baby’s bottle. Though milk and formula may not have particularly high sugar contents compared to juice, for example, it is actually the amount of time teeth are exposed to sugar which increases their risk of decay, more than the sugar content of a particular drink or food.

Usually, when babies are given milk bottles, they are not also given water bottles. This eliminates one means by which people normally wash sugary residue off their teeth. Babies are also often given their bottles for extended time periods, ensuring their teeth remain covered. Parents who wish to bottle-feed should be careful to not leave young children with bottles for too long and to transition to using cups around the child’s first birthday. They should also brush their baby’s teeth regularly and keep them supplied with water.

David Bishop, DDS and Dorienne Taylor-Bishop, DDS, operate Bishop & Bishop Dental at 8830 Cameron St, #504, Silver Spring, Maryland, 20910. To set up an appointment, call 301-608-9270 or visit BishopDental.com and fill out a contact sheet.