Baby Bottle Tooth Decay: What is It?

Posted on 2/7/2022 by Fariba Mutschler

Also referred to as early childhood caries or cavities, baby bottle tooth decay affects infants and toddlers. Kids need strong, healthy baby teeth to chew food properly and learn to speak, so it is paramount to prevent decay of these teeth.

Causes of Primary Teeth Decay in Kids

A common cause of cavities in primary teeth is the frequent and extended exposure of the kid's teeth to sugary drinks such as milk, formula, or fruit juice. When you give your kid a sugary drink at night-time or during a nap, it can be harmful to the teeth. The reason is that the flow of saliva tends to reduce during sleep. Harmful bacteria in the mouth survive on sugar and release acids that evade the kid's teeth.

Decay can also arise when you pass bacteria to the baby through saliva by testing foods while feeding the kid, sharing spoons, and cleaning off the pacifier in your mouth rather than using water. The bacteria can begin the process that leads to cavities earlier, even before the baby's primary teeth emerge. Therefore, avoid sharing saliva with the baby right from the beginning. If your toddler does not get adequate fluoride amount internally through water, mainly if they use bottled water, it may increase the risk of developing tooth decay.

Complications of Baby Bottle Teeth Decay

Look out for signs such as bad breath, black or brown spots on teeth, swollen, red, or bleeding gums and fever that occurs due to infection. Kids who have untreated early childhood cavities may experience tooth loss, dental infections, chronic pain, and chewing difficulty that can result in poor eating and nutritional habits. Severe widespread decay can necessitate tooth extraction or cause tooth loss. Premature loss of baby teeth can seriously impact permanent teeth; for example, permanent teeth can become overcrowded when they emerge or even be misaligned.

It is essential that you constantly monitor the health of your kid's primary teeth, and if you notice any abnormality, you consult with our pediatric dentist. Bring your kid to our pediatric office for checkups as early as possible before the first birthday. Visit us at our pediatric office to find out how you can protect the health of your kid's teeth.

My daughter was a little nervous to have her dental work done but everyone in the office was super friendly and very reassuring and that helped her nervousness go away. Thanks for the excellent dental experience. ~ Lilyana G.

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Our Dental Blog | Great Grins Pediatric Dentistry - Portland, OR
Dr. Fariba Mutschler & Dr. Mark Mutschler have created this informative blog to help educate the community. If you like an article or the dental blog in general please use the share it button to post to Facebook, Twitter, or Google+.
Great Grins for KIDS Portland, 13908 SE Stark Street, Ste C, Portland, OR 97233-2161 ~ (971) 470-0054 ~ portlandchildrensdentist.com ~ 6/4/2023 ~ Associated Words: pediatric dentist Portland ~