Baby and rotting teeth?

Question

what is the difference with a baby being held for a bottle during the night or given it in their crib? my son (10 1/2 months) still wakes for 2 bottles a night and I (obviously) don't brush his teeth after each of those bottles, and he has 2 teeth. what are the chances that his teeth will rot due to night time feedings? and what can I do to prevent that from happening?

Answer 1

I don't know. My oldest is almost 4 and he had a bottle in bed til he was 2 and doesnt have any teeth problems. and my 17month old goes to bed with bottle and doesnt have problems. i suppose after a long time or if the milk just sits in their mouth.  

Answer 2

Juices, even milk will cause tooth decay if you lay a baby down to sleep w/a bottle. when you are feeding him yourself he is awake and swallowing his milk, but when you lay him down and allow him to do it hisself he isn't steady swallowing it, it stays in his mouth and sits there for a while. Therefore causing decay. I would suggest you pick him up to feed him then lay him back down when he decides he is full.

You will be grateful you did in the future b/c you won't have to pay a dentist to fix a problem that really could have been prevented.

Answer 3

The biggest concern with taking a bottle to bed is that baby's can suckle on it throughout the night.  Milk is not nearly as bad as juice.  My idiot sister in law sent my niece to bed with a full strength juice bottle every night and she has to wear a partial on her top gums b/c her top teeth rotted.  They literally turn brown and fell out.  You could wipe your son's teeth with a wet washcloth.

Answer 4

The difference is that when you feed a bottle to a baby, he sucks and swallows continously -- the milk never sits in his mouth.

By contrast, when baby has a bottle in bed all night, the milk tends to pool in his mouth and sit in constant contact with the teeth.

If he still needs night feeds, pick him up, feed him, then put him back down.  That way you wont' have to worry about decay.  

Answer 5

The difference is that if you are holding him while feeding he will swallow all the formula and his saliva will clean his mouth before you put him in his crib.  If you let him have it while he is lying down then he will more than likely fall asleep and it will pool in his mouth.  Just make sure you have clean hands and give a little rub on his teeth and gums before putting him down (or a clean wet facecloth).