The Dangers of Early Childhood Caries (Baby Bottle Rot)

As a parent, teething can be an especially trying time during a child’s development.  With their bicuspids breaking through it tugs on your heartstrings to hear a child cry in pain or discomfort, so of course you would do everything in your power to make sure they can cope with it.  Be careful though, some common remedies may actually be harming your child in the long run.

A popular traditional remedy is dipping the child’s pacifier in something sweet to help get their mind off of the pain. This practice, along with allowing a child to fall asleep while drinking a bottle can lead to a condition known by dentists as Early Childhood Caries, though you may have heard of it as Baby Bottle Rot.

Never too early to introduce a tooth brush.

The mouth produces saliva to naturally clean away food and debris from setting on the teeth. While asleep, however, saliva production is slowed and any type of food or drink is left sitting on the tooth. This is especially troubling for babies, because if left to sleep with a sweetened pacifier the sugar amplifies the bacterial growth during their rest. Bottles are not a safer option because milk and formula both have sugars that will bring harm the child’s teeth in the same manner.

If the baby (primary) teeth are going to come out and be replaced by mature teeth anyway, what is the harm if they are lost early?  Well, primary teeth have more roles in a young child’s life than one might think.  Of course they allow the child to develop healthy eating habits; but the importance of teeth allows the child to learn how to eat. Just as a child needs to learn how to walk, how to eat is a skill that they will take with them through life as well.  Improper eating habits can lead to jaw problems down the road.  Teeth also play an important role for speech development as well; without their proper baby teeth in place, speech develop problems are at risk.

Perhaps the most important role for primary teeth is as ‘placeholders.’ Think of the speed a child grows out of clothing and realize that the rest of their body is growing at that rate too.  Primary teeth are able to grow with the child to keep their spacing and placement appropriate for mature teeth that will take their place.  If a tooth is lost too early it could lead to an irregular, jagged smile when the mature teeth due come in.  It may lead to a child needing orthodontics that may not have otherwise needed them.  It is the primary tooth that is needed to guide the adult “caboose-tooth” to the proper position.

Wernick Family Dentistry is dedicated to educating patients and families about their dental health to prevent early childhood caries along with many other preventable oral health problems. Contact the office to schedule regular check-up appointments for the whole family.