Baby Bottles Can Cause Tooth Decay

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Baby bottle tooth decay is serious. A baby can have painful toothaches and teeth may turn black, and have to be pulled. If teeth are lost early, a baby can have problems with chewing, talking, and damaged adult teeth.

What causes baby bottle tooth decay?

Bacteria live in your baby’s mouth. They feed on the sugars from the formula and juice your baby drinks. The more sugar and the longer the time sugar sits in a baby’s mouth, the more decay can occur. When your baby falls asleep with formula or juice in his or her mouth, conditions are ripe for decay. Babies who carry a bottle around all day also keep sugars in their mouth too long.

Prevent baby bottle tooth decay by:

• Breastfeeding
• Holding your baby while he or she is drinking from a bottle
• Putting your baby to bed without a bottle
• Using plain water if your older baby is thirsty between meals. Don’t add sugar, honey or soda to water. Do not give extra water to infants six months or younger
• Giving your baby juice from a cup, not a bottle
• Gradually decreasing use of bottles as your baby gets close to one year of age.

To replace the bottle at sleep time:

• Give your baby a special blanket or soft toy to hug
• Give your baby a clean pacifier
• Play soft music
• Rub your baby’s back
• Read a story or sing to your baby

Karen Elliot, ElliottK@missouri.edu
Regional Specialist, Nutrition and Health Education
Jackson County, Missouri
University of Missouri Extension