I’m trying not to panic. Normally, I ignore my sister’s criticism because she tends to be really condescending to me. However, I don’t want to let my pride harm my child. She said that bottle feeding is damaging to my baby’s teeth and I need to get him to the dentist even while he’s an infant. She said breastfeeding children don’t need a dentist until they’re using baby or table food. Is she right?

Anne B.

Dear Anne,

Welcome to the lifelong struggle of worrying you’re ruining your child. It will never end. Even when you’re doing everything right, you’ll be sure you’re wrong. And sometimes, you want to do the perfect thing, but can’t. That’s okay too. A friend of mine wanted to breastfeed her baby desperately because she knew it was the better food option. But, she developed cancer. The medicine’s she had to take precluded her from breastfeeding. It broke her heart. She cried every time she had to put a bottle in his mouth. Then a friend reminded her that formula wasn’t poison and as long as she’s doing the best she can, that’s all that matters.

Pediatric Dental Benefits of Breastfeeding

• Innoculation Against Cavities: Though we’re not sure why, there are more and more studies showing that children who are mostly breastfed have some form of inoculation against cavities. It could be the properties in the breastmilk or possibly the anti-cavity minerals the mother passes to the child from her own immune system.
• The Mechanics: The way the breast is designed and causes the milk to shoot to the back of the baby’s mouth, kicks in their sucking reflex. Bottle feeding just drops the formula in the baby’s mouth and it often pools around their teeth.

All that being said, that doesn’t mean breastfed babies don’t need to see a dentist. Genetics is a large factor in how healthy your teeth stay. So parents with a high number of cavities are likely to have children prone to cavities. Also, moms who breastfeed their babies to sleep don’t realize that milk will pool because the baby stops sucking but milk still shoots out for a moment after he falls asleep. Pooled milk (or formula) causes cavities.

Preventing Pediatric Dental Problems

Whether you breastfeed or bottle feed it’s important you go to a pediatric dentist. How you feed the baby has no effect on developmental abnormalities in tooth development. Baby’s teeth are developing while they’re still in the womb. If for some reason there is an abnormality, it’s much better to catch it early when something may be able to be done about it.

Also, the worst thing you can do is wait, assuming everything is fine, until there is a dental emergency. Then, your child’s first experience with the dentist will be a painful experience. That’s how they’ll view the dentist from now on.

It’s much better for them to get to know the dentist early, when everything is fine with their teeth. The dentist and staff will just show them the instruments, let them sit in the chair, examine their teeth, do a fun, gentle cleaning, and check that everything is normal and healthy. When that happens, they’ll love the dentist… or at least not fear him or her.

Also, don’t forget to brush, even when they just have a couple of teeth. Teach them good habits from the beginning so it becomes just that— a habit.

This blog is brought to you by Dr. Kevin Peck.