All You Need to Know About Baby Bottle Tooth Decay! Baby bottle tooth decay is one of the commonest oral diseases in children. It is a chronic infectious disease that can affect babies from an early age. This type of toddler cavities is also called childhood carries or nursing caries. Interestingly, cavities in baby teeth can begin immediate the first teeth begin to grow. Thus, embracing measures for preventing cavities in baby teeth should be a priority to any parent or guardian nursing a baby. Fortunately, there are successful toddler tooth decay treatment methods. You should always seek medical assistance if you identify signs and symptoms of baby bottle tooth decay. This will ensure the growth of permanent teeth will not be affected.
Causes
Too Much Sugar
Childhood tooth decay is a bacterial infection. Bacteria in the child’s mouth produce acidic substances that attack baby’s teeth. It results into tooth decay. How does these bacteria cause tooth decay in children? The first cause of childhood caries is the presence of excessive sugary foods and fluids in the baby’s mouth.
Common sugary food and fluid that escalate childhood carries include:
- Milk
- Infant formulas
- Juice
- Fruits
- Sweetened fluids
The bacteria around the teeth feed on the sugar molecules and rapidly multiply. In the process, these bacteria release acidic chemicals as waste products. This acid attacks the baby’s teeth causing cavities. Baby’s teeth may also be coated with a sugar layer if the feeding bottle remains in their mouth for long. Such a scenario can occur if a child falls asleep with the feeding bottle still inserted in the mouth. This may result to intensified tooth decay which may affect the quality of permanent teeth later in the baby’s life.
Infectious Bacteria
Another common cause of baby bottle tooth decay is the passing of infectious bacteria from the mother of the guardian. This can occur when the caregiver is feeding the baby. More so, chewing or tasting the food before feeding the baby can pass the bacteria to the baby. The saliva in spoons and cups may also be containing cavity causing bacteria. When passed to the baby’s mouth, they are likely to cause tooth decay.
Inappropriate use of Pacifiers
Additionally, bacteria causing tooth decay can be passed when pacifying the baby. Caregivers may use a spoon that was in contact with their saliva as pacifiers. This increases the chances of childhood tooth decay infections. Using a feeding bottle as a pacifier also creates a good opportunity for the mouth bacteria to feed and multiply. In most cases, the bottle may be containing contents with high amount of sugar other than water. These sugary contents will drip from the bottle and remain in contact with the baby’s teeth for long. If the baby’s fussiness is persistent, the chances of prolonged use of feeding bottle increases.
Signs and Symptoms of Baby Tooth decay
Tooth decay in children initially appears as a white spot on the front teeth gum line. These spots are hard to see at first, even for child dentists without proper equipment. If the problem is not detected early enough, it progresses, and caries appear on the child’s teeth. We start noticing dark or brown spots on the toddler’s front teeth at this stage of the problem.
Childhood caries progress and become holes in the teeth, and these holes are referred to as cavities. The child starts having an terrible toothache. In addition, the gum lines start swelling and breeding. This is common at the very advanced level of this problem. Feeding on this blood, bacteria and other microorganisms flourish, leading to an infection that causes fever.
Preventing Tooth Decay in Children
There are several ways you can prevent this problem from occurring including;
Taking Care of your Oral Health
Prevention of tooth decay in children should start long before they are born and this involves taking care of your oral health. It is essential to visit a dentist during pregnancy for oral care because it guarantees the unborn baby’s oral health. As a parent or guardian, keep asking yourself, is there a good pedo dentist near me?
Maintaining Child’s Oral Hygiene
After the baby is born, teeth decay prevention practices change over time. For instance, you should wipe your baby’s gum with a clean cloth from birth up to 12 months. This should be carried out after feeding the baby and before bed. The significance of doing this is that bacteria will be washed off. Thus, they will not have an opportunity to attack to the baby’s teeth or gums.
From 12 months to 36 months at this time, the child’s teeth have started coming in. At this stage, you can advance to use a toothbrush, and it should have soft bristles. It is good to use toothpaste that contains fluoride because it is a natural mineral that plays a significant role in preventing the formation of cavities.
Avoiding Sugary Foods and Drinks
Furthermore, it would help if you were not giving your child sugary food and drinks. These sweet drinks and food settle on the teeth and lead to tooth cavities and decay. Children whose pacifiers are dipped in sugary syrup are also at risk. In addition, teach the child to clean food from their teeth’ surface immediately after eating.
Restricting Your Child from Using a Cup or a Bottle as a Pacifier
You should limit the time the child spends with a bottle, and if they have to spend more time with it, fill it with clean and fluoridated water. Fluoride is a natural mineral that protects teeth from decaying.
Treatment
Treating cavities in toddlers is an effective way of eliminating this problem. The treatment can reverse the tooth decay and also repair the enamels destroyed by cavities. Parents and caregivers may be wondering; is there a pedo dentist near me? Where can we get a pediatric dentist in North Carolina? We guarantee you that we are the best kids dentist in twon.
Visiting Your Pediatric Dentist
Visiting your children dentist in North Hollywood should be the first treatment step to treat your child rotten teeth. This will be essential in developing a suitable treatment plan that will work effectively for you and your child. The treatment plan will consider several aspects including the child’s age and the tooth decay severity. Pediatric dentist in North Hollywood or the town near you may recommend the following;
Using Fluoride Products
Several treatment options available for your child rotten teeth include using Fluoride. Lack of Fluoride in the child’s body can weaken the bones and the teeth. Thus, using fluoride toothpaste and silver diamine fluoride (SDF) will help in demineralizing any damaged enamel. Changing the child’s diet may also supply the body with the deficient Fluoride ions. Brushing the baby’s teeth with Fluoride toothpaste is effective in cleaning the teeth and maintaining baby’s oral hygiene.
Treatment Using Dental Sealant
Sealants treatment for children is another effective method of controlling toddler cavities. If the decay in your child’s teeth is severe, the paediatric dentist may recommend this type of treatment. The use of sealants treatment for children helps to protect the chewing surfaces of the teeth which are prone to cavities. As the best kids dentist in twon, we ensure that the dental sealants used on your child are safe. Additionally, both the American Dental Association (ADA) and U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have approved the use of dental sealants for toddler tooth decay treatment.