How Baby Bottles and Sippy Cups Affect Your Child's Teeth
One of the biggest milestones for small children, and their parents, is to transition from using a baby bottle and learn how to drink from a cup. Many children find comfort from their bottle or sippy cups and this can seem like a slightly daunting transition for parents to make.
It is very important to your child’s development that this transition is made correctly. You may not know that there are many negative side effects to your child’s oral health and development if you allow your child to drink from a bottle or sippy cup for too long.
Using Baby Bottles and Sippy Cups Improperly
As mentioned before, many children find comfort in the sucking motion using a bottle or sippy cup. Parents may even let their child take these items to bed in order to help them fall asleep.
When a child falls asleep with a bottle full of milk or juice, it allows time for some of the liquid from the bottle to pool behind the sleeping child’s front teeth.
Baby Bottle Tooth Syndrome is the name given to tooth decay that develops from using a bottle filled with juice or milk as a sleeping aid. The sugar in these liquids feeds bacteria which can cause cavities and erode the enamel on your baby’s teeth.
Sippy Cups are intended to be used as a transitional cup for just a few months as your baby stops drinking from a bottle, around 6 to 12 months old, and is learning how to use a cup. When used long term, the sippy cup encourages an unhealthy mouth and jaw position which can cause children to develop a bad swallow.
Negative Effects of Sippy Cup Use
Prolonged use of a sippy cup, especially if it is filled with juice or another sugary drink, can have the following negative effects:
Crooked teeth
Tooth decay
Misaligned teeth
Speech delays
Bite problems
Some of these effects are caused by the liquid in the cup and some are from the unhealthy mouth and jaw position. However, both can and should be avoided by preferred, alternative cup options and also by not allowing your child to take a sippy cup with juice or milk to bed, either during naptime or at bedtime.
Alternative Cups to Use in Place of Sippy Cups
There are many spill-proof alternatives available for parents to try in place of a sippy cup. A great alternative is to use a sealed cup which allows a child to learn how to hold and drink from the edge of a cup, but the cup has a 360 degree seal that keeps the cup from spilling when it falls over.
Another great solution is to use a straw cup. Straw cups are the step up from sippy cups that can help older babies and toddlers learn how to sip before moving on to an open cup.
While straw cups may seem similar to sippy cups, as they both require a sucking motion, they can better help improve the muscles around the mouth and tongue and protect teeth alignment. This will help with their speech development and swallowing skills, which are needed later on in life for eating and drinking out of regular cups.
How to Prevent Early Child Cavities
According to the American Dental Association, early childhood cavities are entirely preventable by doing a few simple things to make sure your child's teeth are clean, healthy and strong.
If your child needs a bottle to fall asleep, fill it with water instead of milk or juice.
If your child falls asleep during a feeding, remove the bottle from your child as soon as you notice he is no longer sucking.
Teach your child to drink from a cup early. Begin transitioning from a bottle to a cup by around 6 months. Children should be weaned from using a bottle by one year old.
Bring your child to a dentist after his first tooth erupts and before age one. Your dentist at Woodsprings Dentistry can warn you of any potential problems with your child's teeth and gums.
For more answers to commonly asked questions about infants and dental health care, read our blog article “Oral Health for Infants and Toddlers: Answering Common Questions”. As parents of two young boys, WoodSprings Dentistry dentists, Drs. Samantha and James Tejada, are committed to partnering with parents to keep littles ones healthy and happy by providing the best pediatric dental care for families in The Woodlands and Spring communities.
Looking for a pediatric dentist near you in The Woodlands or Spring, TX? Our dentists, Samantha and James Tejada, provide expert pediatric dental care in a compassionate, comfortable environment. Call WoodSprings Dentistry today or request an appointment online to give your child the oral and dental healthcare they need for a healthy, happy mouth.