Whether your baby is breast or bottle fed, healthy dental habits are important!
Follow these tips to keep your baby cavity free:
- Wipe your baby's gums and teeth clean after each feeding.
- Don't allow your child to breast or bottle feed at will throughout the night. Make sure your baby finishes feeding before bed and goes to sleep with clean teeth and gums.
- If your child is bottle fed, do not put any other liquids besides milk/formula in the bottle.
- Don't put your child to bed with a bottle. If your child must have the bottle in bed, make sure it's filled with plain water only.
"Baby Bottle Decay" is a common term for the devastating, full-mouth cavities that can form when teeth are constantly exposed to the natural sugars in breastmilk and formula. Don't let the name fool you - breastfed babies are equally susceptible to this type of cavities!
Your child's first dental visit should happen by age 1 or when the first tooth erupts, whichever comes first.
Regular 6 month dental check-ups with a board certified pediatric dental specialist is an important part of your baby's oral health care.
