What is the worst thing parents can do to their baby’s teeth?

I was recently at the dentist’s office and the hygienist and I were talking about dental care for young children. The most important point that she made was: Never put your baby to bed with a bottle.

First of all, I would be concerned that a baby could choke if left sucking on a bottle unsupervised all night. Besides that, milk, formula, and juice contain sugar. If a baby is left sucking a bottle filled with these liquids, the sugar can cause tooth decay. According to Dr. Sears, when a baby falls asleep, saliva production slows down, allowing the teeth to soak in the sugar all night. This can lead to bacterial growth, plaque, and eventually painful tooth decay.

How to Recognize Tooth Decay
Baby bottle tooth decay symptoms are hard to recognize since they are not very obvious at first. Look for:

• Fever from gum or tooth infection
• Bleeding or red gums
• Pain or irritability
• White spots on teeth

If you are concerned, see your pediatrician or a pediatric dentist for further evaluation.

Breaking the Habit

• If your infant is attached to a bottle in bed, only use water.
• If you need to wean the child off of juice in the bottle at bedtime, water it down more and more each night until there is only water in the bottle. During this process, remove the bottle as soon as the baby falls asleep and brush his/her teeth right away in the morning.
• Wipe a baby's gums with a washcloth after feedings.
• Once a child has teeth, brush them with a soft child-sized toothbrush and infant toothpaste.
• Begin dental checkups when the baby is 6-12 months old.
• Teach a child to drink from a cup as soon as possible (as early as 6 months) since it reduces the chance of liquids pooling around teeth and gums.

Please share your tips for how you broke the “bottle in bed” habit.