How to prevent baby bottle tooth decay Published Feb. 22, 2012 By Capt. Wah-Yung Tsang 51st Dental Squadron OSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea -- Decay occurs as soon as teeth appear in the mouth. One risk factor for early childhood caries (sometimes called baby bottle tooth decay or nursing mouth syndrome) is frequent and prolonged exposure of a baby's teeth to liquids, such as fruit juices, drink mixes, milk or formula, which all contain sugar. The normal bacteria in saliva mixes with sugar to form acid that attacks the teeth for at least 20 minutes which causes tooth decay. It is not just what goes in the child's bottle that causes tooth decay; it is also the frequency and length of time of exposure to the acids. This is why tooth decay occurs when a baby is put to bed with a bottle, making it important for infants to finish their naptime or bedtime bottle before going to bed. If the child gets severe decay before the age of 2 to 3 years old, it may require extensive treatment or even extraction of some teeth to rid the patient of infection. Forty percent of toddlers between the ages of 2 and 3 years old have some inflammation of gums and cavities. Baby teeth are very important for your child's dental development to preserve the necessary space in the jaw for the permanent teeth to come in. Training cups, also called sippy or tippy cups, are valuable in preventing baby bottle tooth decay. However, many training cups are "no-spill" cups, which are essentially baby bottles in disguise. No spill cups include a valve beneath the spout to stop spills, encouraging the child to suck on the cup like a baby bottle. This practice defeats the purpose of using a training cup as it prevents the child from learning to sip. A training cup should only be used temporarily. Once your child has learned how to sip, the training cup has achieved its purpose. It should be set aside when it is no longer needed. Prevention · Rampant childhood cavities are considered child abuse and neglect so take care of your babies' teeth. · A sippy cup is no better than a baby bottle, and it doesn't encourage sipping. · Never allow your child to fall asleep with a bottle containing milk, formula, fruit juices, or sweetened liquids, and do not breast-feed your child to sleep. · Do not give your child a pacifier dipped in any sweet liquid or honey. Limit juice to fewer than six ounces per day during meals. · Begin brushing your child's teeth as soon as the first tooth comes. Use a small amount of fluoride toothpaste to brush after they are 2 years old. · Do not allow your child to carry a sippy cup around and drink at will. Toddlers are often unsteady on their feet. Falling while drinking from a cup has the potential to injure the mouth. · Begin teaching your child to drink from a cup at around 6 months of age. Try to have them stop using a bottle by 12 to 14 months of age. If your child has not had a dental examination, schedule a baby checkup for his or her teeth. The American Dental Association says that it is beneficial for the first dental visit to occur within six months of the appearance of the first tooth and no later than the child's first birthday. For more information, contact the 51st Dental Squadron at 784-2108.