Does Your Child Have Baby Bottle Decay? What You Need To Know
Your child's baby teeth are just as important as permanent teeth. Despite this, many people believe that baby teeth are not important because they eventually fall out. Sadly, cavities in baby teeth can have an impact on your child's overall health. If your child drinks from a bottle, he or she could suffer from baby bottle decay. Here are some things you should know:
What Is Baby Bottle Decay?
Baby bottle decay happens to the front top teeth. There can be other impacted teeth, but the top is the most prevalent because that is the area where liquid from the baby bottle touches the teeth most often. When a child drinks formula, milk, juice, or any other liquid with sugar content, the sugar has a chance to sit on the teeth for a longer period of time. Baby bottle tooth decay occurs most often in children who drink a bottle before bed or as a soothing mechanism. When the child drinks before bed, the sugar will sit there unless you brush the teeth immediately after the bottle.
What Are the Signs for Baby Bottle Decay?
Signs of decay include different colors or shaded spots on the teeth. If the color does not come off after brushing, chances are the child has decay. The first indicators are lighter white areas, with the spots getting darker as time passes.
You may also notice bad breath, bleeding or swollen gums, and possibly infection. If you notice any of these issues, be sure to take your child to the dentist right away.
How Is Decay Treated?
The treatment for your child's teeth will mostly depend on how bad the decay is. Your child's age will also be a determining factor. The dentist may wish to fill cavities if they are still small. For more severely decayed teeth, the dentist may choose to extract the tooth. This is often a better choice if the tooth is so badly decayed that it is liable to fall out even after a filling. If your child is older and the decay is in a tooth that is soon to fall out on its own, the dentist may choose to do nothing since the tooth will soon be out of the mouth. You and your dentist will have to make decisions for your child's treatment plan based on his or her level of decay.
Visit the website of dentists near you for more information about what a dentist can do for your child.