WHAT IS BOTTLE MOUTH?

Children fuss. Sometimes they don't want to take a nap or go to sleep the exact minute you put them to bed. What do parents do? Reward them. How? By sticking something in their mouth! Food, candy, treats or just give them a bottle!

Some parents even send their children to bed with a bottle or juice cup, filled with sugary juice or milk. Think of what that does to little baby teeth. What does sugar do to teeth? It rots them! What does milk do to teeth? Provides calcium? Yes, it does and babies need calcium, but the reality of giving a child milk or juice and not rinsing or wiping off their little baby teeth is that it coats the teeth and causes bacteria, yes -germs and disgusting stuff, causing them to decay and can affect the tender gums and cause bad breath and will even affect the permanent teeth.

Giving a bottle too frequently can also cause "bottle mouth," where the teeth grow in improperly. Sometimes the damage is so bad, that it is irreversible and not even braces will help. Of course there are implants. I read a story about a one year old infant who had to have them because of "bottle mouth." The sad part is that this is preventable.

PREVENTING BOTTLE MOUTH

Avoid giving your baby too much sugar, especially in liquid form, this includes sugar water. Fruit juice is also bad, because it contains high contents of sugar. Dilute all juices that you do give with 50 percent juice to 50 percent water. This applies even before your baby gets teeth. Milk, formula and even breast milk are especially bad when given too frequently (as in "snacker's), and especially in bed, as it coats the teeth and allows bacteria to grow, causing all kinds of nasty things to happen. Do not use a bottle to put your baby to bed with and do not leave a bottle in bed with your baby. Babies can and do have reflux issues. They cannot burp themselves. They can spit up, choke and have to sleep in it, phew...that awful smell of spoiled milk - and it does leak out of the bottles or cups, can ruin the matress, but the worse case scenario, your baby can die.

Avoid giving your baby a bottle at nap time or bed time and don't allow your toddler to walk around with a bottle all day long. Avoid using the bottle (or the breast) as a pacifier. Use a pacifier instead. Do not give your baby a bottle of milk or a sippy cup of juice to suck on all day. Sipping on a bottle of juice or milk all day can be just as harmful as falling asleep with a bottle of milk or juice.  The same goes for Mom's who allows their child to breastfeed, while sleeping.  Bottles should be considered a part of meal time and during the day, you can substitute juice or milk for water, with nothing added for hydration.

Wean your baby off of the bottle at the latest, by the time he is a year old. If you're still nursing, nurse at meal times, not at or during nap or bed time.  Start introducing your baby to a sippy cup at about six months of age and get him use to the taste of water. In most cities the water contains fluoride, which will also help prevent "bottle mouth," tooth decay and because water doesn't contain any sugar, it is a healthy alternative and if introduced early, it becomes a good habit.

Use Bisphenol-A (BPA) free bottles, nipples and sippy cups. The chemical BPA is known as bisphenol A. It's found in all kinds of products, mostly polycarbonate plastics. Nearly all plastic baby bottles are made of this, as well as most plastic products we use regularly. The damage from BPA has been seen in the cells of mice. In humans this results in birth defects or mental retardation. Other studies have linked BPA to low sperm count, hyperactivity, ADD/ADHD, early puberty, obesity, small testes size, and enlarged prostates.

The shape of the nipple is also important, a slightly bulbous "orthodontic" design; or a flattened shape or the wide mouth is better at preventing the teeth to come in bucked, or the gums to form in the shape of the nipple or a "bottle mouth" shape.

Avoid soda, including diet soda or anything containing artificial sugar. There is nothing worse than seeing a baby with a baby bottle full of coca cola! Of course no one would do that, right?

If you have to give your baby something to stick in his mouth, try a pacifier or buy a nice soft little pediatric toothbrush and let him carry that around all day instead! Encourage children to brush often. Healthy teeth and gums start young and just because baby teeth fall out, doesn't mean you don't have to take care of them. Quite the contrary. Not taking care of baby teeth does affect the permanent ones.