Nursing bottle caries happens when the sweetened drinks (like milk, formula, fruit juices) or pacifiers dipped in sugar are given, particularly at nap time or at night, stick to the teeth for a long time allowing mouth bacteria to change the sugar to acids that attack the teeth causing tooth decay.

This is also known as “early childhood caries”, a common problem among children under the age of five, but can be avoided through awareness and prevention. If your child does begin to show symptoms, your dentist can provide treatment for baby bottle tooth decay. The type of treatment depends on the severity of the decay. As with most health issues, the earlier the problem is addressed, the less extensive and invasive the treatment will be.

• START CLEANING THE TEETH AS SOON AS THEY APPEAR IN THE MOUTH
• START BRUSHING THE TEETH AT THE EARLIEST
• Substituting water for juice & milk in your child’s bottle AS THE LAST DIET AFTER FOOD BEFORE GOING TO SLEEP