Will Pacifiers and Baby Bottles Ruin My Baby's Teeth?

Sucking is a natural habit to every child and it develops out of its own accord. It is in fact developed in the womb by the inborn child. It is vital for the development of the child. The child feels at ease or comfortable in the initial years of life, long enough until he/she does not require any breast or bottle-feeding. Since it is tailor-made, most of the infants are comfortable in sucking their fingers, hands or pacifiers. But many feel this as a problem whereas it is a soothing habit for the infants. So what is it actually?

Will pacifiers pose any threat? The reality is that during the initial years before the development of teeth, these sucking habits are not probable to cause any damage. But in the long term, if this habit persists, particularly after the appearance of permanent teeth (say at an age of 6 years), this habit is likely to cause problems like

• The front teeth in the upper part grow out slant.
• The front teeth in the bottom part will tilt in.
• Both the jaws can misalign.
• The crown of the mouth narrows.

However, there are certain precautions that can be followed to avoid this disaster. They can be obtained by contacting any dentist. But what about the bottle in increasing the risk of developing Early Childhood Caries, otherwise called as Baby Bottle Tooth Decay (BBTD) in its severe manifestation.

Most of the children feel comfortable with sucking habits and continue it by using a bottle, a sippy cup or a pacifier or through breastfeeding, though they no longer need such types of nutrition. In case of the presence of sugary liquids in such bottles instead of water, this sucking habit may lead to the risk of developing ECC and BBTD, which results in complete tooth decay.

The frequent presence of such fluids or those containing carbohydrates or sugars will make the teeth vulnerable for decay by providing the growth opportunities for cavity-causing bacteria. This occurs in the very primitive stages and spreads quickly thus resulting in pain and infection. This increases the risk of developing more cavities throughout the entire life of the child.

The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) in US has estimated that nearly 28% of children between the ages of 2-5 years have developed this tooth decay problem. Among this 28%, a higher percentage is affected by BBTD, which causes pain while eating, playing and even sleeping. Such children with excessive damage needs removal of these teeth or repair it under general anesthesia even before they are three years old.