Infants and babies alike are susceptible to tooth decay just as much as we are. One such way for them to be exposed to this is through their baby bottle. For this reason, we, as parents, have to be attentive to its contents and for how long our babies have them.
In this article we shall be talking about how baby bottle can affect our babies’ oral care. We will be answering many questions and talking about different topics. What drinks have a higher impact on this? How can we prevent this? Why should we care of baby teeth? And more with the help of Los Algodones dentist.
How a baby bottle can affect a baby’s oral health
On its own, a baby bottle is a handy item to feed our baby with many drinks. But without the proper attention, it can wreck havoc on the infant’s mouth.
Baby bottle tooth decay is when the tooth decay is triggered by the baby bottle. This is due the sugary drinks and the exposure that our babies have to it. This is an important aspect to consider, as it can spread to other teeth as easily.
The same goes for old trick of dipping the baby’s pacifier in something sweet. These practices are to be stopped at napping and night time.
Why do we care about baby teeth if they are not permanent?
Baby teeth can be seen as disposable as they are just the training wheels that give way to the real deal. Yet that is not how things work, sadly! Baby teeth play pretty important roles in your life.
There are many reasons why we want to take care of them. They are used for chewing, for smiling, they also help us get used to taking good oral care habits. Moreover, as we grow up, we use them to pronounce certain consonants and word cluster, thus helping us speak normally. Lastly, they play a big role in placement for when adult teeth are ready to sprout.
How to prevent tooth decay from baby bottle
In order to prevent damage, there are dos and don’ts that we, as parents, can get around.
The dos are, of course, executing good oral care. This comes in the form or wiping and brushing our baby’s teeth as necessary. This is especially true after a meal or food. Make sure you do not brush your baby’s first teeth with toothpaste, and if you do, let it be one without fluoride.
As for the don’ts, we refer to things we can avoid. For example, using the baby bottle for sugary drinks such as sodas and sugar water. Furthermore, never let your child sleep their nap or sleep with a bottle filled with sugar y drinks! The same goes for pacifiers dipped in honey or other sweet things.
One way to cut the sugar habit is to slowly reduce the sugary content by diluting it with water overtime. As such, by the time two or three weeks have passed, you will be back to using water.