Tooth Decay and Nursing

[Oklahoma Mama]

My 18 month old is showing significant problems in 2 teeth - not the top two teeth, but the ones next to them. The teeth have holes on the front. I see no problems with any other teeth. I am planning on taking her to the dentist soon, but wonder if this could be due to night nursing. I night nursed my two older sons without any problems. My daughter probably nurses more at night than my boys did though and I was probably a little better brushing my boys teeth. I feel terrible. I can night wean her if it will help prevent future decay, but then I wonder if it is decay anyway. I wonder why just those two teeth are affected. Could there be another reason?

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

There is no proof that bfing causes problems with teeth but there is proof it helps prevent it. Your lo might have the same problem many lo's have including my ds weak enamel that they are born with. Sometimes it is genetic other times it just shows up with no family history.

Be prepared though for the dentist to blame bfing because 99% of them usually do. Drove me nuts when I started dealing with ds's teeth but I just let it go because nothing I said made a difference.

[Vancouver Mommy]

I have wrestled with these worries with both my kids. My ds is 30 months and still nurses several times a night. Every single dentist appointment my stomach is in knots because I think he's going to have a mouth full of cavities, but every time he gets a clean check up. He did have a bit of decay on his front teeth which has remineralized over the past couple of years.

[AislinCarys]

The latest and largest studies done on this show breastfeeding is NOT associated with caries in any way!

I think these are the studies.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11242425

http://pediatrics.aappublications.or...ull/120/4/e944

[Oklahoma Mama]

Update

My baby is now almost 22 months old and shows decay on her four top teeth. From what I have been able to research breastfeeding in general doesn't cause decay but the way I breastfed may have caused a problem. My daughter would nurse for hours every night on a Boppy pillow and would often have the nipple resting on her top teeth.

Anyway I have been to three dentists. The first two blamed nursing and wanted to put her under to fix them or strap her down to yank out her teeth. Needless to say, I looked for another option. I found a local dentist (not a pediatric dentist) who offered ozone treatment. I took her in to see him to see if he would work with her and he did the first treatment that day. Her tooth decay looked better immediately. We are supposed to go back every three months. This method is not guaranteed, but I had to try something. We brush her teeth about 7-8 times a day now and I have mostly night weaned. There is still decay visible and one tooth is almost gone, but we may have saved the other three. Hopefully, the ozone treatment will delay the decay until she is old enough to have them fixed without anesthesia.

[CookAMH]

I'm curious what her diet is. From my reading, decay comes from the inside out with calcium being stripped from the teeth because of lack of fats. If you are curious, I'd be interested in responses and help you might get on the Traditional Foods board. (I'm curious as my knowledge is quite limited).

http://www.mothering.com/discussions...play.php?f=365

[Emmery'sMom]

My dentist surprised me with some info at my last visit with him- sometimes teeth are predisposed to decay in certain areas, or maybe even the entire tooth. He brought it up because I had significant decay in the same tooth, in the same spot, on each side of my mouth, and no other cavities in the rest of my teeth. This could be a reason for decay in milk teeth as well.

Good job though on finding something that is working!!

[Oklahoma Mama]

Her diet is pretty standard for the typical toddler which isn't always the best. She didn't have any sugar at all until she was 1. I think genetics have a lot to do with it. My Dad required over 90 fillings when he was a kid. Plus I didn't practice the best oral hygiene with her. I didn't do much different than I did with her brothers though. I don't think that diet had the greatest impact on her teeth because the decay happens to only be on the four top teeth.

Anyway, I don't think that I can conclusively point to one thing as the cause. But I do think that the way I nursed my baby may have impacted her teeth negatively. I still nurse her now, but don't let the teeth be exposed to the milk for a long time without brushing.

[boobs4milk]

just wanted to say that you should only be brushing her teeth 2-3 times/day. i know you feel awful, but you can't make up for it, esp. if it's genetic! that much toothpaste and rubbing on the teeth and gums isn't good on them. s to your lo and you!

[HappyTomato]

Originally Posted by CookAMH

I'm curious what her diet is. From my reading, decay comes from the inside out with calcium being stripped from the teeth because of lack of fats. If you are curious, I'd be interested in responses and help you might get on the Traditional Foods board. (I'm curious as my knowledge is quite limited).

http://www.mothering.com/discussions...play.php?f=365

Ditto this... also check on the dental forum under health and healing for the "curing cavities" thread. There is a great deal of useful info there. From what I've read about traditional foods and the studies of Dr. Price, brushing the teeth has little to do with preventing cavities. There were villages in the Swiss Alps where the people had green slime on their teeth due to no brushing yet none of them had cavities due to their nutrient dense diet. You can inherit your mother's and grandmother's nutritional deficiencies though. If they didn't have enough calcium or vitamins to grow healthy teeth for you during pregnancy, its possible for you to pass those deficiencies on to your children as well, especially if you are not taking steps during pregnancy to prevent it such as really ramping up your diet with specific nutrients in the right combination through foods prepared a certain way. This is something that even a Harvard study has touched on so its not just Dr. Price anymore and the traditional foodies that are saying this. HTH and GL!!!

[CookAMH]

Originally Posted by HappyTomato

You can inherit your mother's and grandmother's nutritional deficiencies though. If they didn't have enough calcium or vitamins to grow healthy teeth for you during pregnancy, its possible for you to pass those deficiencies on to your children as well, especially if you are not taking steps during pregnancy to prevent it such as really ramping up your diet with specific nutrients in the right combination through foods prepared a certain way. This is something that even a Harvard study has touched on so its not just Dr. Price anymore and the traditional foodies that are saying this. HTH and GL!!!

Nicely explained, and this is my belief too (and it likely describes my family too, even if we don't have visible decay). It's thought of as "hereditary" when it's actually environment...passed down through generations having similar consumption of nutrients and food. In general, I think that explains a host of health ailments that run in families.

[LilMomma83]

In my family growing up there were 8 children, 5 of us have AWESOME teeth...no problems at all, in fact my dentist looked at my teeth the first time and said, "you'll probably never get a cavity." however, the other 3 kids have TERRIBLE teeth...they've had extensive fillings/replacements etc...the only thing different (we were all BF day and night for 1-4yrs and followed a similar diet and similar hygiene and dental care) was that the 3 with bad teeth all spent their first several years on a certain water well (the rest of us were on city or a different well)...so we think it got caused by the water...

Anyway, whatever the cause I hope all gets straightened out :-)

[LadyCatherine185]

So glad you posted your update! I could've written your original post word for word... we are taking my DS to the dentist tomorrow for his first appointment. He does however, have a chipped tooth, his front top. I think that may have contributed to the decay on the other teeth.. hoping our apt goes well....

[HappyTomato]

Originally Posted by LilMomma83

In my family growing up there were 8 children, 5 of us have AWESOME teeth...no problems at all, in fact my dentist looked at my teeth the first time and said, "you'll probably never get a cavity." however, the other 3 kids have TERRIBLE teeth...they've had extensive fillings/replacements etc...the only thing different (we were all BF day and night for 1-4yrs and followed a similar diet and similar hygiene and dental care) was that the 3 with bad teeth all spent their first several years on a certain water well (the rest of us were on city or a different well)...so we think it got caused by the water...

Anyway, whatever the cause I hope all gets straightened out :-)

Out of curiosity, what are the age gaps between all the children and which ones have bad teeth? In traditional cultures, parents were encouraged to space their children out by at least 2-3 years to give the mother enough time to build back up her nutritional stores for another baby. I've noticed in some families that I know IRL that the oldest child has the best teeth and the younger children suffer from either cavities or crowded teeth (both can be caused by lack of nutrients in a pregnant mother). However, my own children are different. My oldest son doesn't have cavities but he has a narrowed arch, under bite and some chipping. I didn't know about traditional foods while I was pregnant with him but I found out about it when he was 2 and he started getting raw grassfed milk which I believe has helped keep the cavities away. With my DD, I ramped up my intake of calcium, vits A and D while pregnant. Her teeth are so far straight and so strong and really white. She doesn't have all of them in yet but there is a striking difference so far between her and my son's teeth at her age. She also didn't get her first tooth until almost a year old which I've been told by the dentist is a good sign she'll have good teeth. My son got his first tooth at 5 months.

[smpayne]

Originally Posted by LilMomma83

In my family growing up there were 8 children, 5 of us have AWESOME teeth...no problems at all, in fact my dentist looked at my teeth the first time and said, "you'll probably never get a cavity." however, the other 3 kids have TERRIBLE teeth...they've had extensive fillings/replacements etc...the only thing different (we were all BF day and night for 1-4yrs and followed a similar diet and similar hygiene and dental care) was that the 3 with bad teeth all spent their first several years on a certain water well (the rest of us were on city or a different well)...so we think it got caused by the water...

Anyway, whatever the cause I hope all gets straightened out :-)

City water usually has Flouride added to it, which does help with preventing cavities. My mother actually gave my brother and I Flouride drops as a kid and neither of us got and cavities until we were in our 30's. Possibly the reason dentists blame BF is that most Formula was made with tap water (at least in years past) that had added Flouride, so the FF toddlers did have less cavities.

Both of my kids were sleeping 6+hrs at night by 8 weeks (unless they were sick), so I don't have any experience with extended night time feedings.

[LilMomma83]

Originally Posted by HappyTomato

Out of curiosity, what are the age gaps between all the children and which ones have bad teeth? In traditional cultures, parents were encouraged to space their children out by at least 2-3 years to give the mother enough time to build back up her nutritional stores for another baby. I've noticed in some families that I know IRL that the oldest child has the best teeth and the younger children suffer from either cavities or crowded teeth (both can be caused by lack of nutrients in a pregnant mother). However, my own children are different. My oldest son doesn't have cavities but he has a narrowed arch, under bite and some chipping. I didn't know about traditional foods while I was pregnant with him but I found out about it when he was 2 and he started getting raw grassfed milk which I believe has helped keep the cavities away. With my DD, I ramped up my intake of calcium, vits A and D while pregnant. Her teeth are so far straight and so strong and really white. She doesn't have all of them in yet but there is a striking difference so far between her and my son's teeth at her age. She also didn't get her first tooth until almost a year old which I've been told by the dentist is a good sign she'll have good teeth. My son got his first tooth at 5 months.

The spacing is 1st child good teeth 3yrs (good teeth) 2yrs (good teeth) 2.5yrs (good teeth) 2yrs (good teeth) 1.5yrs (bad teeth) 3yrs (bad teeth) 1.5yrs (bad teeth) ...hmm...it was her last 3 kids...so you theory does make sense even though the spacing doesn't fully match.

[claddaghmom]

Hi there!

I posted in a panic on this same topic b/c Dd had a horrible crack/hole in her front tooth. My youngest sister has "bottle rot" for which the reason was never found either.

I don't think nursing causes it but I thought posting it in this forum would prevent the "stop nursing" mantra that the dental industry shouts whenever this topic comes up.


Ok! Anyways...I started supplementing myself with 5,000 D3 and New Chapter Perfect Prenatals daily. I started doing this for myself, separate from the issue of her teeth. (pregnancy)

Well lo and behold, one morning I was brushing her teeth and noticed it was gone! Sadly not without a trace...you can almost see a "line" going through her front teeth. Like a scar. I worry that it points to intrauterine issues and only now can I see it since that portion of the teeth moved past the gum line.

But the main point is, the hole is GONE! And since the only thing I did different was adding D3 and NC prenatals, I'm going with that. Perhaps my poor diet was not enough to keep her teeth intact, or perhaps further strengthening my diet gave her what she needed to fix her teeth.

I don't know... either way