Causes of Infant Tooth Decay

Dental care is one of the most important habits that children should learn from the earliest development stages. The following are some of the main causes of infant tooth decay and best treatment techniques.

Sometimes the baby sleeps during feeding, whether on breast-milk or formula milk. In both cases, their tongue keeps the last sip of milk in the mouth, which leads to the soaking of the teeth and roots in lactose-rich milk throughout the sleep period. The repetition of this case leads to the decay of all the teeth exposed to the milk.

As children tend to like sweet foods better; the mother must follow the hygiene of their child’s teeth regularly. Excessive sweetened or sugar-rich juices along with neglect of oral hygiene lead to decay. In addition, tooth decay will cause toothache, which eventually affects the health and appetite of the infant.

Drinking juice through a bottle prolongs the period the juice is present around the teeth and leads to decay.

Using a bottle can damage the baby’s teeth on the long run. The child will play and bite his bottle for long periods, causing the teeth to grow abnormally.

How to Properly Take Care of Teeth:

Regular dental care is a must to prevent decay:

For children under 3, only a small amount of toothpaste should be used. Children between the ages of 3 – 6 should use a pea amount of toothpaste.

The child’s teeth must be brushed for about two minutes twice a day; once before bedtime and at least once during the day.

(Credit: Dr. Hesham Nafei, cosmetic dentist, Damas Medical Center)