BABY BOTTLE BLUES

A long term study in Canada confirms what dentists all along have suspected which is that Bottle-fed babies are more likely to develop a bad bite than breast feed babies. As part of a government study, researchers studied 108 infants and then examined them five years later. About 20% of the bottle-fed babies developed a bad bite, compared with only 3% of the children exclusively or partially breast fed.
"A bad bite in baby teeth can lead to the same pattern in the child's permanent teeth," says study coauthor Dr. Don Davis, a dentist in the Canadian Health and Welfare Administration. Bottle feeding doesn't work the facial muscles as hard as breast feeding, and it also encourages "tongue thrusting," in which the tongue pushes against the front teeth. Davis says that the newer bottle nipples that mimic the shape of the breast are probably better, though there's no proof yet.
Also, Parents of infants should be aware of the consequences of putting your baby to sleep with a bottle of milk. Since milk contains sugar, the sugar can dissolve the teeth and cause rampant cavities. This disease is called BABY BOTTLE SYNDROME and appears as black spots around the teeth. At our office our children’s dentist is specially trained to treat young children with this problem as well as other childhood dental problems. The time to take your baby to the dentist is between two and a half and three and a half years of age.
Try not to put your baby asleep with a bottle if possible, but if you feel it is necessary at least use water or very diluted apple juice.