bad teeth due to breast milk

[ann n mick]

hi i took my son to the dentist yesterday due to his tooth starting to rot away the lady said to me that he has to stop breatfeeding him to sleep as the breast milk is doing it she told me to feed him but dont let him go to sleep on the booby make him brush his teeth then he has to go to sleep on his own his now 19months old when should i take him off

[sm2j]

hi ann, also be carefull even when you take him off the breast , you shouldnt ever let children go to sleep straight away after having had anything to drink besides water. just make sure before they go to sleep they drink some water. anything such as milk, or juices have sugars in them, and when leaving them in the mouth attacks the teeth due to acids we naturally produce in our mouths.... just a little hint

[ann n mick]

the thing is he has water to drink he only has a water ice block when its hot
and has a milky way when we go shoping once a week now he dosent even get that now he loves fruit and cheese so he has more of that instead now

[Mylittleboy]

I noticed tonight that my little ones teeth are a little off colour and i'm freaked out, he is only 9 months, never eaten any rubbish food, but I think it may be because I never give him water straight from the tap (so no flouride), I always boil it first (guess I have to stop that).
He's bottle fed but never goes to bed with a bottle and his teeth have been cleaned regularly.
I feel like a terrible mother!!

[ann n mick]

you feel like a bad mum my son has 3 rotten teeth i feel worse then you the dentist lady told me to brush his teeth with water until he learns to spit it out as the tooth paste can be harmfull if they swollow it she told me to act like its posion so he cant have it till he spits it out
i think 1 in every family a child has a rotten tooth

[MamaSage]

I never give him water straight from the tap (so no flouride), I always boil it first (guess I have to stop that).

The only way to remove flouride from water is through reverse osmosis filtration. Boiling does not alter the mineral content of water, nor remove any. It only kills some bacterium.

FWIW, my daughter has one dodgy tooth, she has never been feed to sleep, we do not giver her any sweet foods, she only ever drinks water and brushes her teeth twice daily. Sometimes it is pure luck of the draw, there may have been nothing you can do to prevent it.

[ann n mick]

thanks that makes me a bit better knowing that its a luck of a draw

[ShadyCharacter]

If your son is attaching properly, it is unlikely to be the breastmilk that is causing his teeth damage. When he has your breast in his mouth, it goes between the tongue and the palate, and the nipple should be right towards the back of his mouth, so the milk shouldn't come into contact with the teeth too much.

Sugar from fruits is a huge cause of tooth decay - sultanas are a very common culprit as they get stuck between teeth and don't come out easily when brushing.

It is definitely a luck of the drawer thing, I feed my 2.5 year old to sleep several times a night and his teeth are fine :)

[FourAngelKisses]

My oldest two kids have had the same diet since birth, they always eat exactly the same things and brush their teeth every day. My son has perfect teeth, never had a hole or anything. My daughter however, her teeth are full of holes. The dentist always tells me that it is MY fault.....makes me not want to take her back actually.........even though I tell her that she never eats junk food, doesn't drink softdrink or anything sugary and brushes her teeth.

So yeah, it is the luck of the draw, some have good teeth, some have bad. it isn't your fault.

[meme]

it is definately the luck of the draw. i am under the impression that there is actually somethingin breastmilk that can be protective of childrens teeth..of course i can't remember what :confused: . anyway i bfd my dd to sleep and have done with all mine with no tooth probs.

the problems for us start with the introduction of lolies softdrink , even fruit juice. and the struggle to get them to clean their teeth and properly...:banghead:

[witch1970]

:shakehands:hello everyone:wave:,
this is my 1st time here but have been inspired by your conversation after doing a google search about breast milk rotting babbies teeth.
i have a 9 year old boy who breastfed til 2 &1/2, he has beautiful stong teeth (tho he was drinking water thru the night from 18 months), my 2 year old daughter still breast feeds tho she is more active feeding thru the night still between 2-4 times (yes im a tired zombie but a dedicated demand feeder ;o)
my gp said i should stop as her teeth will go bad, i was shocked as i never considered breastfeeding to have any cons only pros! ive always thought of it as 'liquid gold' and the longer the better both physically and mentally for the child. i introduced my children to brushing teeth from the time they could sit and hold things giving them those baby toothbrush sets with rubber 'bristles" to break them into the idea, she loves brushing like my son, but i cant imagine brushing her teeth 4 times during the night when all i can think about is crawling back to my bed asap! besides over brushing is just as bad removing protective enamel. now i have always brushed my teeth 2-3 times a day even as a child and have a mouth full of fillings and root canals (pregnancy destroyed my teeth also), yet my husband who is not as proactive in this area is in his late 40's without a single cavity or filling...i ask you where is the justice? its luck of the draw, some people have good stong teeth and some dont, i guess we just make the most of what we have and do the best we can. i wouldnt be going back to any dentist who blamed me for my child's rotten teeth tho, they should have more sense than that! some friendly advice would have gone a long way im sure! like my dentist said, get the kids used to flossing early on! flossing prevents most problems he told me(but now im going to ask him what he thinks of breastfeeding and tooth decay and will get back to you).
well thanks for taking the time to read all this if you got this far...i know i talk a lot as you may all soon find out ;)
am happy for any and all comments and advice, you all sound like you have your heads screwed on pretty straight to me and have your kids best interests at heart! :D
kind regards witch1970.

[~Temet Nosce~]

You know I think dentists know what they are on about. Yes breastmilk is great, but it has the potential to rot teeth just like cows milk. Probably even more so, as I've heard its got a sweeter taste.
Feeding to sleep most likely isn't an issue when they don't have teeth, but once they start to get teeth, usually (not always every kid is different) they won't be feeding through the night. Its best to brush teeth strait before bed, no matter what the drink.

Anyway this thread is pretty ancient so never mind :p