Do I need to night wean if my dd has cavities?

[kdescalzi]

Dr. Sears,

DD is 2 yrs old and has just been diagnosed with severe childhood caries. Her 4 top front teeth need crowns and my dentist has already noticed decay on one of her molars. I understand that there are many factors that play into her tooth decay but want to know if you think I need to stop night nursing. We are already brushing a lot with fluoridated toothpaste and zylitol. I have cut out sweets, sugars, dried fruit, etc. In your opinion, do you think I need to night wean? Is it possible her teeth are predisposed to cavites and that she may have problems even after I night wean?

[fitmommy]

Just thought id chime in & share this link with you, before the Dr gets here :).You dont half to night wean cause of cavities.Breastmilk doesnt pool in the babies mouth like a bottle of milk would. Read more in the link below.And their are some good links at the end of the article.Good luck

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/older-baby/tooth-decay.html

[DrBobSears]

I've read and heard both sides of this issue over the years. My opinion is that night nursing doesn't cause dental caries. BUT the debate is whether or not teeth that are already decayed might be made worse by night nursing. With the dental enamel eroded away, does breast milk sugar get down into the teeth and increase the erosion? That's the question. I don't think that enough research has been done on such kids to answer for sure one way or the other. Since the teeth will be fixed, they should be protected from further erosion. The molar might become decayed more quickly or it might not - we don't know. If you get it fixed too, shouldn't be a problem.  As for any of the other teeth that are not decayed yet, I don't think night nursing would increase the risk.  I think this is mostly genetic. I usually don't tell my own patients in this situation to night wean.