Can Nursing Toddler to Sleep Cause Tooth Decay?

Yes it can cause decay and cavities. It can have the same affect as putting them to bed with a milk/formula bottle.

http://www.babycenter.com/404_is-it-bad-for-my-babys-teet...

It takes a lot of circumstances for teeth to rot and get cavities. One reason is weak enamal and there isn't much you can do for that if it's hereditary.

Thousands of people drink and eat before going to bed and don't brush the remaining food off their teeth before getting into bed. If you are brushing her teeth often it shouldn't make a difference. It is the holding a bottle/tippy cup in their mouth for hours while asleep that causes the decay. The saliva in the mouth washes away the remaining milk,etc...when we swallow during the night, if the bottle is still dripping into the mouth then it stays on the teeth extended periods of time.

If you are worried about her teeth then make an appointment with a Pedatric dentist.

I drive nearly 150 miles to take the kids to Dr. Jason Lee in OKC/Mid West City Oklahoma. He is awesome, uses white filling material, practices at Baptist, Children's, and Mid West City Hospitals. He takes most insurance, Sooner Care, and is just great. If you do see him, or any other dentist, make sure you tell them if they do anything during your visit like educational information then you have to make sure your insurance will cover it. That is the only complaint I have heard about dentists, they sometimes do Education class on how to brush teeth or floss, etc...and then insurance won't cover it.

Regular dentist think they can take care of baby teeth but they treat them just like adult teeth and they are not adult teeth. Why not go to a specialist whose whole knowledge is about taking care of your childs teeth?

It sounds to me like flouride too. Nursing does not decay teeth like bottle feeding (decay on teeth is usually grey or black by the way) when nursing the child sucks the milk from the nipple and swallows it in almost a fluid motion in bottle feeding the milk is drawn from the nipple at a much faster rate cause the milk to pool in the mouth and around the teeth. That milk sitting on the teeth is what causes the decay. Fluoride isn't in all water supplies either. You shouldn't assume that it is in your water supply unless you have spoken to your local health department or contacted the provider of your water supply. They do not put fluoride in the water where I live and I have to give my kids a tablet each day. I think your fine to sit back and wait till October. They can evaluate her and give you recommendations for correcting any issues. Remember too that her childhood teeth are only temporary and she will lose that tooth in question within the next 5 years anyway.

My daughter was solely breastfeed and my doctor recommended flouride drops. The drops we used were by prescription but I think you can get them over the counter. Also, when she gets spots on her teeth it is usually caused my too much juice. I put a little baking soda on her toothbrush with her toothpaste and the spots come right off. Good luck and congrats on nursing so long!

Since breastmilk comes along with natural antibacterial stuff from our bodies (the something glands, the little bumps on our areolae), I think it's very rare. Not only that, but the nipple is so far back in the mouth, I've read, that the milk goes right down the throat, doesn't actually get on teeth much.

I think that, since evolution made our milk so calming that it actually helps babies to sleep, it wouldn't make sense that it would also harm them by causing cavities, too. But I've heard dentists recommend that you brush their teeth first thing after naps and in the morning, just in case.

Don't worry about milk. You know, lots of kids don't like it because it tastes weird. School cafeterias have learned to serve it very cold to disguise the taste. It's because it's not natural and kids on some level know it. Try non-dairy calcium sources, which are much healthier, and the calcium is much more bio-available, anyway (so even if there's less calcium per serving, it packs more of a punch). Dark leafy greens are a great source, and so are sesame seeds/tahini, kidney beans, molasses, and many other foods. Try soy yogurt. The Whole Soy brand is like custard. Even the plain flavor is delicous, unsweetened.

If you are brushing her teeth it shouldn't be decay. Unless she is constantly going to bed without swallowing all the milk. You don't want liquid pooling and sitting on the teeth. With my three kids who were/are breastfeed, I've never had a problem. They were nursed to sleep and don't have any issues. It might just be the area you're in. We're military too, and are in LA. The dentists here say that kids can get stains on their teeth due to the water and they think environment. It's something they've only seen regularly here. So I wouldn't worry about it. Just ask the dentist in October and I'm sure they wont be too concerned over it.

Usually, white spots on the teeth are hereditary and can be a sign of too much flouride, lots of which can come from the juice the child is drinking. The white spots should not have any adverse effect on her teeth though. At least that is what I learned from my dentist when my son had a similar issue. The white spots are now gone from his teeth. He is 3.

I know that there is conflicting advice so I will only tell my experience. My daugther nursed to sleep every night until she was 3 1/2 years. I am sorry but to brush her teeth after she nursed and was practically alseep, I was not going to wake her up for that. I did not give her cow milk until 18 mo and even then only sporadically. Also, until she was 2 1/2 years old we lived in an area that did not fluorinate the water nor did I suppliment as the doctor suggested (they do not always know best - do your own research and make your own descision).
My daughters teeth are beautiful and white at nearly four years old. Her teeth are brushed twice daily since one year (wiped them down with a soft cloth initially). She has juice only with a meal, water at all other times. Toddlers have to eat frequently but I normally do not let her have crackers or such to continually snack. I like to let an hour or two go between so she does not constantly have some sort of sugar in her mouth. Hope that helps you and try not worry much until you see the dentist, she likely does not have cavities. I have heard that cavities usually cause dark spots not white which is caused as said by a previous post.

We have a filter on the faucet of our kitchen sink so that it is all tap water but filtered. Much research shows that bottled water is NOT really better than tap and bottled does not have the fluoride. My suggestion would be to use a filter so that you are more comfortable with the tap water. You can just turn the nozzle from regular to filtered (we use the tap for dishes and filtered for my 8 month old's formula).

It will not cause tooth decay...your nipple is on the hard palate in the back of
of your childs mouth...
Go to www.kellymom.com this website is a wealth of bf knowledge!
Good Luck!
Jen

Unfortunately, your doctor sounds like he may be misinformed. Here is a link that answeres all your questions about the spots:
http://cyberdentist.blogspot.com/2006/08/white-spots-on-t...

Also, if he suggested "baby water", he's waaay out of date on his information, as the consumption of floridated water has been deemed harmful:
http://www.fluoridealert.org/health/infant/

As for milk relating to calcium intake, here is a site that explains why there is a certain amount of confusion on that:
http://www.vegsource.com/attwood/milk.htm
I hope these sites are helpful to you :}