Can Breastfeeding Help Prevent Future Cavities?

Several expecting and new mothers are intrigued about the relationship between breastfeeding and their child’s oral health. You may hear all sorts of theories and opinions from other mothers and doctors about the impact of breastfeeding on the oral health of your child.

A lot many factors influence the overall dental well-being of your child. Breastfeeding can indeed have an impact on the oral care of your child. Whether or not you decide to breastfeed your newborn is one of the most important decisions for new mothers to make.

How Breastfeeding Helps Children?

Helps Tackle Tooth Decay

Breast milk has been shown to combat the after-effects of tooth decay. As you must already be knowing, breast milk is considered to be a storehouse of naturally-occurring antibodies that help fight decay causing bacteria when your child develops teeth in their mouth. However, children with unhealthy teeth eruption are still highly susceptible to tooth cavities and other infections.

Help Create a Better Jaw Structure

A study in 2011 revealed that a child who breastfeeds for at least a year is 3.7 times less likely to develop orthodontic issues. This benefit can save you from visiting orthodontists in the future and stay clear of costly orthodontic treatments.

Functions As a Colostrum

Colostrum is a thin-consistency milk that new mothers produce immediately after giving birth. It consists of a large number of antibodies to help keep your baby healthy and protected from infections. It is low in sugar and high in protein that helps fulfil the nutritional requirements of a newborn.

Lead To a Healthy Digestive System

Colostrum is also easier for newborns to digest while still aiding in their rapid development. As days go by after giving birth, your breast milk develops essential nutrients to nurture your baby’s digestive system while still protecting them from hazardous infections.

Babies need to eat a lot of calories to keep up with their rapid growth. This is the reason why they feed so often. Breast milk can be easily digested by newborns and get them ready for their new feeding cycle. Also, it helps prevent bouts of constipation in your baby.

Prevent Overall Health Risks

Newborns can develop allergies from other milk varieties such as soy milk and cow milk. The risk is even higher if either of the parents have a family history of allergic reactions.

Breast milk reduces the risk of allergic reactions in children because it is easily digestible and also helps prevent other health problems such as gastroenteritis and pneumonia.

The American Diabetes Association has also proven that breast milk reduces the development of obesity and type 1 diabetes in children in their future.

Relationship Between Breastfeeding and Oral Health

The relationship between oral health and breastfeeding is both a negative and a positive one. As you read in the above section, breastfeeding can help prevent tooth decay and orthodontic problems in children. This leads to the development of better bite and better oral hygiene.

Research has also proven that breastfed babies tend to have healthy tooth eruption patterns as compared to the non-breastfed babies. It is essential for the baby to have a healthy nutritional supply to aid in teeth eruption.

Breast milk contains large amounts of essential minerals and vitamins that help fulfill your child’s nutritional requirements and promote a healthy growth pattern.

The antibodies present in breast milk can help fight hazardous tooth decay causing bacteria. Therefore, it is safe to say that breast milk does an excellent job of helping your child’s mouth stay bacteria-free!

Another dental issue that new mums are always concerned about in children is the development of cavities. This dental problem stems from a large amount of sugar intake leading to excessive plaque buildup.

Plaque is nothing but an accumulation of harmful bacteria and other particles around your child’s teeth and gums. These harmful bacteria thrive on sugar and release an acid that decays the protective covering of the teeth.

These acid-producing bacteria can also find their way beneath your child’s gum line leading to gum inflammation or gingivitis. Now let’s understand how this problem ties to breastfeeding.

Breast milk naturally contains a lot of sugars which can function as a food for these acid-producing bacteria. This implies that you need to provide proper oral care to your child while breastfeeding them.

However, there’s no reason for you to worry because the benefits of breastfeeding outweighs its cons. That said, there are plenty of methods that you can adopt to ensure your child’s oral cavity stays healthy as a horse!

How to Prevent Tooth Decay & Cavities in Children!

If you’re concerned about how to maintain a good oral hygiene for your child, then here’s how you can do it:

Don’t Let Your Baby Sleep with a Bottle

Prolonged exposure to calories and sugars (including the ones in breast milk)  increases your baby’s chance of developing cavities. It is safe to breastfeed your child at night.

However, please avoid giving your baby a bottle to help them sleep. This can lead to pooling of milk and sugars around your baby’s teeth and lead to bacterial buildup. Instead of a bottle, try giving your baby a pacifier to sleep instead.

Clean Your Child’s Mouth After Every Feed

To prevent tooth decay and other serious oral health issues, it is imperative that you meticulously clean your baby’s teeth and gums after every round of breastfeeding. If your baby’s teeth haven’t made an appearance yet, then wrap a cotton gauze or a damp cloth around your finger and gently clean the milk residue around their gums.

If your baby’s teeth have erupted, then you can ask your child’s pedodontist about toothbrush and toothpaste recommendations to clean the baby’s teeth. When your child starts teething it is important that you take them for their first dental visit.

Look Out for Mouth Breathing

Mouth breathing can lead to dryness of the mouth and bacteria love to flourish in such environmental conditions. Therefore, if you notice that your baby is breathing through their mouth while they’re sleeping. Immediately notify your child’s dentist on their appointment with them.

Healthy Food Options

When your baby starts teething, it is a good time to make them aware about other healthy food options. You can still continue breastfeeding your child even after their teeth start erupting but also supplement their daily diet with brand-new food items. Ensure that these new food items are low in sugar and enriched with essential vitamins and minerals.

Practice Good Hygiene

Baby’s immune systems aren’t as healthy as adults which is why it is necessary to be extra cautious. Bacteria from your mouth can travel to your baby’s mouth easily. Therefore, limit sharing of cups, spoons, and kisses to keep your child safe and healthy.