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The following article is written by Linda, a registered nurse working for a dentist / anesthesiologist in central California.

Tooth decay in primary teeth is a frequently seen problem these days. We are so busy and with our fragmented lives we look for quick solutions to everything, including fussy babies. Stick a bottle in their mouths, or a sucker and they settle down causing us less distraction and maybe more sleep at night. Since primary teeth have thinner enamel they break down faster. They are only meant to last 6-10 years. But they are important for many reasons. They help with speech development, they look nice, of course they are for eating and they hold the position for the next set of teeth. For these reasons it is important to repair them and besides it hurts just like an adult tooth when it is diseased.

When a bottle is in the mouth all night, or the breast for that matter, the milk or food puddles around those teeth. It may appear as if they came in rotten but sadly they were decaying before they had the chance to come in. The pattern will continue throughout the mouth if changes are not made. These changes are not just brushing and brushing which becomes burdensome. It is important to start the baby on an eating and drinking schedule early on. That means bottles, cups, whatever it takes to put food or drink in our mouths should be spaced by 3 hours. This magical time frame seems to give the teeth a chance to rest by normalizing the digestive process that starts in the mouth. When we put food in our mouths saliva rushes in to begin the process of breaking down food chemically. Over time what we call decay is also the teeth being digested. They are not meant to withstand constant stress just as our bodies need uninterrupted rest at night our teeth need periods of rest during the day and a clean mouth all night.

There are certain foods that make it harder for your teeth too. Soda and Gatorade have acid in them that seems to practically melt teeth. Even sugarless soda will do this. Next time one of your children loses a tooth put it in a jar with soda in it and observe how long it takes to break down. Worse than your teeth soda also de-mineralizes your bones. That means it takes the calcium out which is what makes them strong. This is particularly hard on females of all ages. Baby girls are storing calcium for reproduction and older women store it for old age. Broken hips and osteoporosis could be friends with soda drinkers. It just doesn’t make sense nutritionally to drink much soda. It has many other bad effects.

One of the best health habits you can pass on to baby is to drink water between meals. This habit keeps the mouth “juices” moving and keeps us hydrated. So often what we interpret as hunger is really thirst. It is best to drink just plain water. Not watered juice, not cool-aide or any other fake drink. Another good habit is to eat the fruit itself instead of drinking the juice. The fiber in the fruit will send a message to your brain that your stomach is full and satisfied. Kids of course would usually only eat maybe 1/2 an apple or orange and yet the juice we pour down them would be the equivalent of 4-6 whole apples or oranges several times a day. Thats not only a lot of sugar for the teeth but also a lot for the waistline. We see many obese children who have now got what used to be adult onset diabetes or type II diabetes. Bad teeth in a child indicate that all is not well with a child’s nutrition. Over time this may evolve into other more serious problems like obesity and diabetes. You can also keep it simple with the other beverages. Drink plain milk, not chocolate or strawberry. Eat the whole grain breads and cereals. Eat some fruit and some vegetables daily. Your baby may not like them at first but just keep offering it. Keep the kitchen closed between meals and eventually baby will learn to eat enough to make it until the next feeding. You may find an improvement in behavior after making new habits. Caffeine is a drug and tea and sodas have them in abundance. Do you really want to chase a faster baby? Let them rest when they are tired instead of letting this drug run through their delicate systems.

Babies are resilient and adaptable beings mostly blessed with perfect health. It is a wonderful thing to give them great eating habits for life. To feel picture perfect health is a blessing that parents can enhance making their lives more wonderful longer. Since tooth decay is a preventable disease even for adults we can benefit from the regime described above. In fact if we model it for our children they are more likely to be successful too. Of course flossing and brushing become more important as the child ages so its a good idea to begin running a wet washcloth over their gums to get them ready for later brushing as the teeth erupt. They need to learn that some things have to be done and you are their teacher and model.

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