Causes and symptoms of Baby Bottle Tooth Decay

The commonest worry of most parents is that the baby will be sleeping all through the night, putting their stomachs to rest. For this reason, they put the bottle in the baby’s mouth before bedtime and even in the middle of the night, putting the baby at risk for baby bottle tooth decay. The bacteria tend to stay in the mouth of the baby too long, when the baby is fed with milk before bedtime, resulting in the development of cavities in the baby’s teeth. According to pediatricians, if the baby is fed with a milk bottle for a prolonged time, they can lose their teeth earlier in life.

The milk teeth of the babies are very important, as it helps them to chew food and helps them in speech development. They are also crucial to get permanent teeth to grow straight and healthy. Child doctors in Gurgaon suggest that the baby bottle tooth decay will affect the long-term oral health of the child and will also affect their self-esteem.

Causes of Baby bottle tooth decay:

The main cause of baby bottle tooth decay is the frequent and long-term use of milk bottles.  Some parents use milk bottles to feed fruit juices, formulas, milk, and other drinks with sugar. This exposes the teeth of the child to the sweetened fluids for a prolonged time. The sugar that clings to the teeth serves as a source of food for the bacteria in the mouth too. The bacteria in turn forms certain acids that attack the teeth of the child. The upper front teeth and the first molars of the child will get affected first before proceeding to the lower front teeth.

Symptoms of baby bottle tooth decay:

The signs of tooth decay in children secondary to the use of feeding bottles will be seen on the gum line of the upper front teeth. White spots can also develop on the teeth and these signs are visible only with proper equipment. Other common signs of tooth decay in children are holes and cavities in the teeth, toothache, swollen and bleeding gums, and at times a fever that is due to tooth and gum infection.

If left untreated, it can result in costly dental care, pain, and discomfort in the mouth, damage to the permanent teeth, loss of space needed for permanent teeth to grow, infections that could lead to other health issues, etc., Thus, it is important to prevent than to subject the baby to all these oral health hassles. Browse for a pediatrician near me, or a pediatric dentist and consult every six months to identify the early signs of baby bottle tooth decay.

Bottom Line:

Extensive and effective treatment is available if your baby is experiencing baby bottle tooth decay. It is possible to reverse the damage with help and support from an experienced pediatrician in Gurgaon. They will help in developing a thorough treatment plan depending on the age of the child and the severity of the condition. 

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