Preventing Baby Bottle Tooth Decay

1

Why are baby teeth important? 2

hold a place for permanent teeth

for eating!

development of normal speech

good looking smile

self esteem

Examples of Baby Bottle Tooth Decay 3

mild moderate severe

Baby Bottle Tooth Decay can be… 4

painful for the child!

$$ expensive if surgical procedure needed to place caps over teeth

A negative effect on child’s self image

Good News… 5

100% preventable!

HOW? 6

No bottle or sippy cups of formula or milk in bed

No propping bottle

No other liquids in bottle besides formula

No carrying around a bottle all day

Also important…7

wean from bottle by 12-14 months

encourage cup use starting age 6 months

How do I clean the teeth?

9

wipe gums with damp baby washcloth

first tooth, brush with child’s soft toothbrush

Be gentle!

no tooth paste needed

When do I start? 10

the earlier the better

absolutely must start when first tooth comes in to prevent decay

first tooth, 3-7 months average

What foods encourage tooth decay? 11

wait to give these foods until at least one year or more!

• any type of candy or lollipops• gummy “fruit” snacks• fruit leather/fruit roll-ups• cookies/cakes• processed cheese slices• dried fruit or raisins• teething biscuits• sodas

Fluoride for strong teeth! 12

American Academy of Pediatrics recommends:

less than 6 months, no supplementation needed

After 6 months, drink tap water if fluoridated

If water not fluoridated, ask doctor for fluoride supplement

Too much fluoride

is damaging to

teeth!13

Good tooth care… 14

start earlybe consistentset a good examplebrush teeth togetherbrush child’s teeth/wipe gums let your child brush your teeth for you!

How do I wean from the bottle? 15

(for babies 12 months of age and older)

Reduce the number of bottles every 3-5 days by one

Fill bottle with water only and cup with milk. Give child choice of one.

Set a “quit date” for the bottle and stick to it! Only offering a cup from that date on.

What about breastfeeding? 16

Breast feeding past 12 months is fine

No extended periods latched on, especially overnight

Should be using cup as well

Trouble falling asleep now that bottle is gone from

crib?… 17

Try…music…rocking…pacifier…reading a story…musical mobile…comfort item

first trip to dentist between 18

2 and 3 years of agealleviate fears and set the stage for regular dentist visits.

Review

Questions?

23

Thank you for coming to today’s

class!