Baby Bottle Rot?

Good question. There is a wonderful reprint that will be available in May called "Talking Care of Your Breastfed Baby's Teeth" that discusses the difference between breast milk and formula, bacteria that causes tooth decay, and prevention. The biggest factor is to make sure your baby goes to bed with a super clean mouth. Breast milk lowers the risk of decay, but if there are any other carbs present, the risk increases. The reprint might be available online, check www.ilca.org in May. The hand-out will be in The Journal of Human Lactation. I co-wrote it with a dentist. :-)

I was just reading that you don't want you baby to fall asleep with milk on their teeth (formula or breastmilk) because the sugars from the milk eat away at their teeth while they sleep. So if she does fall asleep at the breast, would you be able to sneak a rag, toothbrush, or little finger soft bristled brush into her mouth while she's still asleep to wipe her teeth? Or maybe you could start a different bedtime routine? Bath, book, rocking, but no nursing? Good luck!!

See attached link for a great article about this subject.
http://www.drgreene.com/21_863.html

It does happen and can lead to a lot of problems down the road. By 16 mos she should see a pediatric dentist, the sooner you expose her the better chance of no fears of the dentist. Both of mine have been going since 16 mos. and love the dentist! :)
Do not breast feed her to sleep. It is not helping her learn to fall asleep by herself either. If you are wanting to breast feed just do it when she is alert and awake, then brush her teeth and lay her down awake. At 16 mos she should be falling asleep on her own not using you for a human pacifier. I know that time is special but you are only prolonging things and it will get worse for both of you! You need to do it now. Talk to a dentist too as he/she will tell you how bad it is for their teeth, decay on baby teeth can cause problems with permenant teeth!

Si! It'll be okay. BTW another fab mamasource mom told me to nurse in the beginning of the bedtime routine so that she can still nurse before bed, but nor fall asleep on the snacks....workd well for mine. You could try that if your concerned. I still nurse mine to sleep when she is upset, though. :)

Breastmilk doesn't have the same sugars that formula has, so breastmilk shouldn't be a problem, I am including a like on this very topic from another source.....

This portion was posted by a dentist, but flouride was also a topic of conversation..

"dentist here...posted recently on this same topic--and I agree that night nurisng is not a cause of cavities, but not brushing after the last solids of the night is a problem...but I had to say something about the fluoride...topical fluoride is WAY different than systemic fluoride. Additionally, fluoride in the water has been named as one of the greatest public health ventures according to the CDC. Of course you can over do it and that is a problem, too. Anyway, I'd be happy to send articles, but be prepared for hundreds of them!!!"

And here is another site to check out, this one actually talks about what leads to cavities, and it is one I wish I new about.....

http://www.mothering.com/articles/growing_child/child_hea...

and here is another..

http://www.naturalchild.org/guest/linda_folden_palmer3.html

Hope they help...

Bottle rot usually occurs when babies are put to bed with a bottle and bathe their teeth in milk or juice all night. As long as you brush her teeth regularly, breastfeeding should be fine. Enjoy it while it lasts!