Preventing Baby Bottle Tooth Decay 1

Why are baby teeth important? 2 hold a place for permanent teeth for eating! development of normal speech good looking smile self esteem

Examples of Baby Bottle Tooth Decay 3 mild moderate severe

Baby Bottle Tooth Decay can be… 4 painful for the child! $$ expensive if surgical procedure needed to place caps over teeth A negative effect on childs self image

Good News… 5 100% preventable!

HOW? 6 No bottle or sippy cups of formula or milk in bed No propping bottle No other liquids in bottle besides formula No carrying around a bottle all day

Also important… 7 wean from bottle by months encourage cup use starting age 6 months

How do I clean the teeth?

9 wipe gums with damp baby washcloth first tooth, brush with childs soft toothbrush Be gentle! no tooth paste needed

When do I start? 10 the earlier the better absolutely must start when first tooth comes in to prevent decay first tooth, 3-7 months average

What foods encourage tooth decay? 11 wait to give these foods until at least one year or more! any type of candy or lollipops gummy fruit snacks fruit leather/fruit roll-ups cookies/cakes processed cheese slices dried fruit or raisins teething biscuits sodas

Fluoride for strong teeth! 12 American Academy of Pediatrics recommends: less than 6 months, no supplementation needed After 6 months, drink tap water if fluoridated If water not fluoridated, ask doctor for fluoride supplement

Too much fluoride is damaging to teeth! 13

Good tooth care… 14 start early be consistent set a good example brush teeth together brush childs teeth/wipe gums let your child brush your teeth for you!

How do I wean from the bottle? 15 (for babies 12 months of age and older) Reduce the number of bottles every 3-5 days by one Fill bottle with water only and cup with milk. Give child choice of one. Set a quit date for the bottle and stick to it! Only offering a cup from that date on.

What about breastfeeding? 16 Breast feeding past 12 months is fine No extended periods latched on, especially overnight Should be using cup as well

Trouble falling asleep now that bottle is gone from crib?… 17 Try…music …rocking …pacifier …reading a story …musical mobile …comfort item

first trip to dentist between 18 2 and 3 years of age alleviate fears and set the stage for regular dentist visits.

Revie w

Questions? 23

Thank you for coming to todays class!