Protecting your baby’s teeth

Some infant formulas contain sucrose (a.k.a. cane sugar or table sugar), which can harm a baby’s tooth enamel faster than any other sugar, according to Diane M. Paletta, DDS, a dentist in Charleston, W. Va., and a spokesperson for the Academy of General Dentistry.

Sucrose is the sweetener in Similac Organic formula, as well as some protein-hydrolyzed formulas and some lactose-free infant formulas, such as soy formulations. All infant formulas have some added sweeteners, to help infants digest the protein from cow’s milk or soy. Along with lactose or sucrose, you might find corn syrup solids and maltodextrin. “Sucrose acts on bacteria in the mouth to produce acid and form plaque, which can begin to erode tooth enamel if it has direct contact with teeth for just 20 minutes,” Paletta says. Check the ingredients on the label if you want to avoid a formula sweetened with sucrose. (See our post on soy vs. milk-based formulas.)

After every formula feeding, wipe off your baby’s teeth with a wet or dry gauze pad so that a layer of plaque never has the chance to form. You don’t need toothpaste, Paletta says. “Just the mechanical action of wiping is enough to get rid of plaque, and that’s even true for adults.

Also, never put your baby to bed—or even down for a nap at home or on the go—with a bottle of milk, breast milk, or formula, or give your baby juice or water sweetened with table sugar, all of which can lead to baby-bottle tooth decay.

Comments

[Martina]

Breast feeding is good for your baby's teeth. If you give your baby a bottle, always hold the baby when you feed him or her. Do not leave a bottle in the crib. Do not put juice in a bottle.