TOOTH DECAY CAUSES PAIN FOR YOU BABY.

     Baby bottle decay or syndrome is a form of tooth decay that can destroy the teeth of an infant or young child. This decay may even enter the underlying bone structure, which can hamper development of the permanent teeth.** The teeth most likely to be damaged are the upper front teeth.  These teeth are critical to your child's smile and health!

     It is caused by frequent and long exposure of your child's teeth to liquids containing sugar such as milk, formula, fruit juices, pop and other sweetened liquids. This sugary liquid can cling to teeth or gums for long periods to cause destruction of enamel, pain, sensitivity and even nerve infection. 

     This liquid sugar is fuel for the bacteria in your child's mouth.  This bacteria produce acids that attack tooth enamel.  The length of time these liquids are in contact with their teeth is critical.  The longer and more frequent the exposures allow greater damage to occur!

     The relationship between a  mother's oral health and that of her child is important.   Dental cavities are an infectious disease and reducing a mother's cavity-causing bacteria will limit the amount of bacteria that is passed on to her baby.

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     Early childhood decay dramatically increases a child's risk of future dental decay.  These children may develop:

     One of the best predictors of future cavities is past caries experience.  With children under the age of 5, a history of previous dental decay will classify a child as highest risk for future decay.  A history of cavities in baby teeth is the best and most consistent predictor of future cavities.*

     5-10 % of young children have early childhood cavities. Treatment of of this condition may require extensive dental work, crowns and tooth extraction.  The cost can range from $1,000-3,000.00 per child.  If general anesthesia is used the cost can be as much as an additional $6,000.

     Children who have nursing bottle cavities have a high incidence of developing future cavities!

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These are things you CAN DO to PREVENT baby bottle decay:

Good oral health should begin at birth and last a lifetime!

Children see dentists to late and too seldom.  Dental home care is not adequately reinforced by parents according to the oral surgeon's report.*

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DID YOU KNOW? Early Childhood Caries
The four upper incisors are usually the most severely affected, since they are among the first teeth to erupt and therefore have the longest exposure to the cariogenic challenge. Moreover, the nursing liquid always pools around these four teeth. The mandibular incisors are more resistant to decay.+

Click here for information on infant dental care:

Baby Teeth Care

Oral Healthcare for Babies

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Fluoride Varnish Helps Prevent Tooth Decay in Very Young Children

Fluoride varnish reduces the incidence of early childhood tooth decay in combination with oral health counseling for parents, according to a study by investigators at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) School of Dentistry.

The children were randomized into three groups: those receiving fluoride varnish twice per year, those receiving it once per year, and those not receiving it at all. Of the initial 376 children enrolled, 280 completed the study.

The study found that the children who did not receive any fluoride varnish were more than twice as likely to develop tooth decay as the children who were assigned to the annual fluoride varnish group. Children who did not receive fluoride varnish were nearly four times more likely to develop tooth decay than those assigned to receive it twice per year (four treatments over two years).

Study results appear in the February 2006 issue of the Journal ofDental Research and online at http:// jdr.iadrjournals.org.

First, the results support the use of fluoride varnish to prevent tooth decay in very young children. Second, the results support parents bringing children for their first dental visit at age 1, when they are getting their first teeth. Fluoride varnish is relatively inexpensive, easy to brush onto a child's teeth, and can be part of a positive first dental visit to help prevent tooth decay. In contrast, when very young children get cavities, it is difficult for them to sit still for dental treatment. Often, young children needing many fillings receive care in the operating room, at great expense to their family and with the additional risks posed by general anesthesia. We now have an easy, low-cost way to keep teeth healthy.

Fluoride varnish is a resin containing concentrated fluoride that is brushed on teeth the same way that nail polish is painted onto nails. It is meant to enhance fluoride's potential therapeutic benefit by keeping the tooth enamel in contact with it. Other studies have shown that fluoride varnish helps prevent tooth
decay for older school-age children who have their permanent teeth.
 Source: UCSF News Services cited adha.org http://www.adha.org/publications/accessextra.htm

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Sippy Cups Alert

      The increased caries risk for toddlers who use the duck-billed cups, often carrying with them and sipping throughout the day can cause cavities.  Spill-proof cups are more like a bottle than a cup. These cups are an effective tool for shifting children from baby bottles to regular cups, but parents should use the cups only as a transitional device because tooth decay remains the most common chronic childhood disease-five times as
common as asthma.
     Prolonged use of the cup also inhibits the development of muscles needed for proper speech.  You should not to allow your child to suck on the cups throughout the day. "Sippy cups are great; however a traditional cup is even better."