Remember that this is unedited text -- like "letters to the editor." Identifying information, such as names, has been removed; but otherwise it is posted here pretty much as it came in. So read it as personal opinion shared with warm intentions but without authority of any kind.
For the latest information and references on breastfeeding and tooth decay in toddlers, see the 2000 edition of MYNT. New research suggests that breastmilk alone may be no more harmful to teeth than water and may even make teeth stronger. But breast milk with sucrose (sugar) added seems even more likely to cause tooth decay than pure sucrose. It seems to be the combination of breast milk and other food that causes problems. If these observations are borne out by future research, then avoiding sugar and a good cleaning before bed may be the keys to healthy teeth in those nursing toddlers who are susceptible to decay. -- NJB
Shortly after her second birthday, my daughter needed caps on her top front four teeth. Her pediatric dentist never "blamed" breastfeeding; however, she did enjoy sleeping with my nipple in her mouth. After her detal work, she refused to eat solids for a few days, but she would breastfeed! I knew she was getting well nourished!
When we first took our son to the dentist, he was almost three. He had an exam and a cleaning. Afterwards, the dentist and hygienist both commented that he had nice teeth. The dentist asked me "does he have any sucking habits?" I replied "sucking habits, what do you mean?" and the hygienist explained that a sucking habit was extended thumbsucking, pacifier or bottle use. I replied "None of those, but he is still nursing." They stood their with their mouths agape and finally the hygienist stammered "Nursing, what do you mean?" and I replied proudly "you know, Breastfeeding!" We went on to have a good discussion about the health benefits of breastfeeding. I think its important for my dentist and pediatrician to know that my healthy toddlers and preschoolers are still nursing because then they start seeing breastfeeding as part of normal toddler development.
[A nursing mother who is also a dentist writes:]The pediatric dentist I work with has seen nurslings with "bottle-rot" pattern of decay. There aren't any scientific studies to prove cause and effect though. I wonder if those children also have "sweets-pushing" grandparents nearby, or if their moms were taken in by the "fruit leather" advertising - please treat raisins, fruit roll-ups, and heath food store alternatives as rare special foods, not daily or weekly crutches. (As a mom I know how much pressure we are under to keep our kids quiet in stores and restaurants - raisins will do the trick of pacifying - but at a cost to the teeth.)
Some children are cavity prone, due to difficult births or other unknown factors - that's a fact. Humans nursed at will for millions of years in times before our modern food distribution system. I was taught the cavities were a rarity except in parts of the world where
1) foods like sugar cane grew naturally or
2) western culture had brought along easy access to a western diet.
So - if nursing at night is important -- stick with it -- but
1)watch the type of solids,
2)get dental check-ups starting at age one and keep them up regularly, even religiously, every six months.
3) Keep your own teeth in tip-top shape
4)Follow your mother instincts about brushing.
I took my children to the dentist this week. My 3-year-old who already has four caps has one more small cavity.....my 16-month-old has four cavities! Same top front four teeth as we had trouble with on the first. This time we are hopefully catching it early as to avoid capping his teeth. We have begun floride gel treatment that I put on his teeth twice a day. It is very upsetting to have to deal with dental troubles in a toddler! I can't imagine going through caps all over again. The process to put them on is traumatic! Actually, I don't think I could put another child through that!
I noticed as my son's four top front teeth came in that they were yellow, none of his other teeth were discolored. This was at about 6-8 months of age. I asked my pediatrician about them and she said some babies teeth came in discolored, but not to worry. I didn't worry too much about them until the second tooth from the middle on top chipped. He was 13 months at this time. I took him to my dentist. He suggested that I bring him in and put composite fillings on the affected teeth. We decided to do this. He was going to give my son some medicine that would make him fall asleep. I checked it out with my pediatrician, and she said it was safe. I took him to the dentist office an hour before the actual appt. so he could be given the drug.(I don't remember what the name of the drug was.) He was so wound up that he didn't go to sleep but was staggering all over the place. The dentist said this was better than having him asleep and we proceeded. It was horrible. He just screamed and screamed. They blocked open his mouth and I had to hold him. I was told that if I couldn't hold him still that they would wrap him in a sheet. In hindsight, I wish I would have just stopped everything and walked out. He screamed so much he was gasping for breath. Finally it was over with me holding him down. I cried and nursed him. He almost immediately fell asleep and slept for four hours. This was worrisome. The fillings didn't work and they were rough. I took him to a pediatric dentist. Never went back to the previous dentist. The pediatric dentist said he stopped using the drug my son was given ten years ago, because of the dangers associated with it. He immediately suggested that I wean him and said that if he was not willing to wean that I could put some of that stop nail biting solution on my nipples to encourage him to stop. I was horrified and said that weaning was not an option. He has never mentioned it again and we get along fine. My son's teeth have not decayed further since seeing the pediatric dentist. We go in every three months and have a fluoride treatment put on his decayed teeth. When he is mature enough to have composite fillings applied without being held down we will try again. The first composite filling didn't stay on and eventually chipped off. I also had my La Leche League leader at that time send in a request to the professional liaison with a question about nursing and my son's teeth. The professional liaison wrote back that it might have been caused by the Nystatin (sp?) we used for thrush for two months when he was 1-3 months old. There is a lot of sugar in the nystatin and recommended that if we needed oral nystatin again to ask for the powdered form without sugar in it to be made up. Most dentists and doctors that I have talked with disagree with this theory. I don't know. I am glad that we caught it in time to take action. I am glad that we found a dentist that is not eager to cap his teeth and is willing to try all other options before major intervention. I have a hard time believing it was because of nursing. He didn't nurse too much at night and when he did, he pulled off as soon as he was finished. The theory I believe the most is that he got it from me. I am very susceptible to tooth decay on all surfaces of my teeth. Not just it the hidden crevices, but on the faces of my front teeth. I will try not to share saliva with my future children, because I think that I have the "bad" bacteria in my mouth. I get this theory from a New Beginnings article from last year sometime.