Baby Bottle Tooth Decay

Baby Bottle Tooth Decay

Baby Bottle Tooth Decay (BBTD) is caused by prolonged contact with almost any liquid other than water. This can happen from putting babies to bed with a bottle of formula, milk, juice, soft drinks, sugar water, sugared drinks, etc. Allowing to suck on a bottle or breastfeed for longer than a mealtime, either when awake or asleep, can also cause BBTD.
When liquid from a baby bottle builds up in the mouth, the natural or added sugars found in the liquid are changed to acid by germs in the mouth. This acid then starts to dissolve the teeth (mainly the upper front teeth), causing them to decay. Baby Bottle Tooth Decay can lead to severe damage to your child's baby teeth and can also cause dental problems that affect her permanent teeth.