{"id":191,"date":"2021-09-30T19:30:00","date_gmt":"2021-09-30T19:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newengland-kids.com\/blog\/?p=191"},"modified":"2021-10-13T19:31:08","modified_gmt":"2021-10-13T19:31:08","slug":"the-causes-of-baby-bottle-tooth-decay-and-important-prevention-tips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newengland-kids.com\/blog\/2021\/09\/30\/the-causes-of-baby-bottle-tooth-decay-and-important-prevention-tips\/","title":{"rendered":"Baby Bottle Tooth Decay: What It Is &amp; How to Prevent It"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignright size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newengland-kids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Picture1-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Baby drinking bottle while lying on bed\" class=\"wp-image-192\" width=\"296\" height=\"197\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.newengland-kids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Picture1-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.newengland-kids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Picture1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.newengland-kids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Picture1-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.newengland-kids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Picture1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.newengland-kids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Picture1-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 296px) 100vw, 296px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>When your child\u2019s baby teeth begin to make their first appearance, the idea of them becoming damaged or decayed is far from your mind. However, this can quickly become a reality when unhealthy dental habits are present. Sadly, many parents are unaware of the fact that putting their little one to bed with milk or juice is one of them. Keep reading to learn about the phenomenon known as baby bottle tooth decay and how you can prevent it!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Common Causes of Baby Bottle Tooth Decay<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>As the name suggests, baby bottle tooth decay refers to the phenomenon in which cavities can form due to prolonged exposure to milk or juice. After all, breast milk, formula, and \u201cnatural\u201d fruit juices all contain sugar, which can quickly erode the surface of your infant\u2019s teeth. It\u2019s important to know that baby bottle tooth decay can also occur when the mother unintentionally passes the harmful bacteria in her mouth onto the baby. Most often, this is a result of sharing spoons and cleaning the pacifier\/baby bottle cap with her mouth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">5 Tips for Preventing Baby Bottle Tooth Decay<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The good news is that, despite their prevalence, cavities are largely preventable. To help keep your infant\u2019s teeth decay-free, here are a few best practices to implement:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Don\u2019t share feeding spoons, lick their pacifier, or do anything else that can share your saliva.<\/li><li>Begin brushing their teeth with a child-sized toothbrush as soon as their first one emerges.<\/li><li>Don\u2019t put them to bed with a bottle.<\/li><li>Start good oral hygiene habits, like going to the dentist, at a young age.<\/li><li>Avoid giving them foods that have added sugar.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">When to Bring Your Child in to Meet Their Dentist<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>According to the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, your child should visit their dentist when their first tooth breaks through the gumline or by their first birthday. Typically, this visit is largely focused on the pediatric dentist getting to know your little one. Before the end of the appointment, they will take a look at their teeth and gums before providing you with any specific tips for caring for your child\u2019s smile at home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Your child\u2019s baby teeth play an essential role in their smile, bite, and speech. So, preventing baby bottle tooth decay is essential. Fortunately, between their visits to their dentist and a solid at-home oral hygiene routine, you can!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">About the Practice<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>At <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newengland-kids.com\/\">New England Kids Pediatric Dentistry<\/a>, our team thrives on providing compassionate and comfortable care to children of all ages. With two certified pediatric dentists and an orthodontist in-house, we hope to be your go-to resource for all of your child\u2019s smile-related needs throughout the years, starting when they\u2019re an infant! If it\u2019s time for your child\u2019s first visit, they are overdue for their six-month checkup, or you simply have a question about baby bottle tooth decay, don\u2019t hesitate to visit our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newengland-kids.com\/contact-us.html\">website<\/a> or give us a call at <strong>508-832-6278<\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When your child\u2019s baby teeth begin to make their first appearance, the idea of them becoming damaged or decayed is far from your mind. However, this can quickly become a reality when unhealthy dental habits are present. Sadly, many parents are unaware of the fact that putting their little one to bed with milk or [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newengland-kids.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/191"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newengland-kids.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newengland-kids.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newengland-kids.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newengland-kids.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=191"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.newengland-kids.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/191\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":193,"href":"https:\/\/www.newengland-kids.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/191\/revisions\/193"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newengland-kids.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=191"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newengland-kids.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=191"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newengland-kids.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=191"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}