Breastfeeding
Sacagawea
member
Dental concerns
Sacagawea
member
At our nine month appointment, I told my pedi that DD still nurses at night about 1-2 times per night. He said that I should stop because DD will get cavities. I emphasized that I breastfeed her not bottle fed her, but he said it didn't matter. It didn't seem right to me, so I did some research online and in my le leche book and just about everything says that breastfeeding at night does not contribute to cavities. However, now a month later, I notice that DD seems to have some darkening in her teeth between her two bottom front teeth. I have no idea if it is tooth decay or staining or just the way the light hits them, but now I feel really guilty about still nursing her at night. She takes a multivitamin with iron (rec by her pedi) in a dropper that is really dark, so maybe that is causing staining?? I tried calling a dentist office to make an appointment, and they said that they didn't see babies until year 2, which is weird because I also read that you should see a dentist before the baby turns one. I tried calling another office near me, and they are out for the memorial day holiday still. I guess I just want some opinions on night nursing and what can I do to minimize tooth decay to ease my mind until I can get in to see a dentist. I nurse her to sleep, 1-2 times a night, and for naps everyday, and I read that you should wipe their teeth if they nurse then sleep. I think this will just disturb DD and then I have a crying baby!! I don't believe in cry it out, and she is a crib sleeper. I don't mind the night nursing because I stay home and can function on interrupted sleep pretty well, and she is only 3rd percentile for weight, so I feel bad about not feeding her. However, I don't want her to have damaged teeth! She only has two so far! Help!
Warning
No formatter is installed for the format bbhtml
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Dental concerns
Breastfeeding does not cause tooth decay.
My dentist does not see children until 3 unless there are concerns.
https://kellymom.com/ages/older-infant/tooth-decay/
Iron supplements can stain teeth. They are also completely unnecessary in a baby that is breastfed unless blood tests show anemia. HTH!
One of the nurses at my nursing support group said that her kids got cavities and they were only breastfed (plus solids). So I have heard of kids getting cavities from nursing, but then they were also extended breastfeeding and the teeth that were affected were the molars.
Right now I don't thing that nursing will affect them so soon, especially since the tongue is in the way and the nipple is way far back in the mouth. I am pretty sure that the staining is more likely due to the iron supplement. It is a common side effect of liquid iron supplement.
If your daughter is on fortified cereal, eating iron rich foods like meat or sweet potatoes you may not need to continue with the supplement. But again you may want to speak to a dietician before you stop.
Thats good to know! Thanks
While research has shown BM doesn't lead to tooth decay, solids can/do.
The best thing you can do is brush your baby's teeth with water before bed once they start eating solids. And ditto PP that the likely culprit of staining is the iron supplements.
Our bedtime routine is pjs, brush teeth, stories, nurse/rock to sleep. LO really likes getting his teeth brushed, I think the sensation is soothing to his sore gums.
Re: milk pooling - while I know that the breast doesn't continuously leak milk like a bottle, if LO is suckling lightly without swallowing (which mine does as he drifts off) it can pool. I've seen it in leaking out of his mouth after I unlatch him.