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There has been a rise in infant tooth decay recently, most notably in Australia. The only cause of infant tooth decay is bottle feeding, according to the Children’s Hospital in Westmead, Australia.
Bottle feeding, however, is not the actual cause of the tooth decay. Instead, the reason is the amount of sweet drinks inside an infant’s mouth, which obviously come from the bottle. If there’s a constant presence of a sweet drink, that could be a big problem because there are times when a baby falls asleep with the bottle in his or her mouth.
As a result, there’s a high level of sugar in the infant’s mouth. This allows bacteria to remain present, which can eventually lead to holes in the teeth, tooth decay, and finally the baby teeth can then fall out prematurely.
There are, however, ways to prevent this. They are as follows:
1. Every time the child drinks milk, juice, or something with sugar, provide the infant with water to wash out the mouth. This will prohibit the buildup of bacteria.
2. You can also wipe your child’s mouth with a clean wet cloth or some type of baby brush.
3. Green vegetables can help to limit the presence of sugar and bacteria in the mouth.
4. You should avoid giving your child a bottle at bedtime and he or she should not be allowed to sleep with the bottle. If this is a habit, replacing the drink with water will provide the solution.
And to make sure you’re following all the necessary guidelines to keep your child’s teeth healthy, be certain to take your infant to the dentist regularly.
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