I need to address a widespread problem regarding bottles and sippy-cups. NEVER let your infant or toddler fall asleep with a bottle of milk or juice. I know from personal experience that lack of sleep can cause us to take desperate measures. One of these measures is propping or allowing a child to have a sippy-cup or bottle of milk or juice to help them fall asleep. This is the number one cause of severe tooth decay in children and its effects can be devastating. This situation is called “baby-bottle tooth decay” or “bottle rot.”

Image courtesy of Dr. Martin S. Spiller

Once the baby/child falls asleep, the milk and juice pools in the mouth and those cavity-causing bacteria commence their attack. It can decay a child’s teeth so quickly and so severely, that that the child can actually end up losing all or most of their baby teeth. This is especially troubling considering they don’t start getting their first adult teeth until around age six or seven!

 
This loss of teeth can lead to many disheartening situations, such as the child having to wear a partial or complete denture just to be able to eat. This is a very tough ordeal for a child to have to go through on many levels, including functionally, socially and psychologically. Not to mention the many extra trips to the dentist the child will have to endure throughout their childhood. So please try to remember to reserve those cups and bottles for mealtime only. You can see for yourself the devastating consequences that it can have.