Milk Before Bedtime - Bad for Teeth?

C., I have a 10 year old and I did the same thing with the milk before bed......He has great teeth and never had any problems with his teeth.....but I did switch him off the bottle at 10 months old to a sippy cup.....however, thought to keep in mind....he does have speech problems but he didn't speak good from the start.....I have a 5 year old who also is on a sippy cup for night time milk and the dentist was overwhelmed with how good his teeth are...my kids drink about three or more 8 oz cups of milk a day........both of them did not start out speaking well...but with speech class the older one is doing much better...and as the younger one grows he is speaking better......but my kids brush their teeth all the time...

L.

It is bad for her teeth but you should also be thinking about weaning her off of a bottle. It's time for a cup!

Tis true that it is bad for their teeth. But then again it also depends on their teeth. I've never had a cavity in my life and I'm 40. I just have strong teeth. I didn't care for them well when I was young either.

My father could brush his teeth five times a day and still have a cavity everytime he went to the dentist.

So it might not harm her teeth at all, but why take the chance. I would give her the bottle a little ealier and then have her brush her teeth before bedtime. It will be the right time and she should be able to fall asleep pretty easily. If you need to just rock her for a minute or lay her down and pat her little bottom for a minute or two to settle her...she will get the new routine soon enough.

i was reading some of the responses you got and i have to say that i have done it with hboth of my children! Have i had an experience yet no, but i have taken my 3 year old to the dentist already to start getting used to it. I also brush their teeth before bed and my daughter still drinks her bottle and falls asleep. I have to agree it is a good way to start weaning them off. But with my first child gave him warm milk before be in a cup. I have my 15 month old and starting to think about taking away the bottle too. So i can't say it will or won't hurt the teeth all i can say is that i have done it and am doing it!

Dear C.,

I am a dentist in Franklin Park, IL. Each month, I write a dental column for the Fra Noi an Italian-American newspaper. I have written a coupl of articles on nursing-bottle caries. If you would like copies of the articles contact me at:
____@____.com

D. P

No. I think the issue is with giving her a bottle or cup in bed and leaving it. Some children fall asleep while drinking with the cup/bottle still in the mouth. That's when the liquid pools in the mouth.

They say it's bad for teeth, but I've been giving both my kids a bottle before bed and they are just fine, perfect teeth no problems. My brother's kids same thing they are 13 and 15 and good teeth, no problems...
If you and your partner both have good teeth, your kids will have good teeth also....
If you have issues, they probably will too... that's my opinion....

Yes that is true. I have seen it happen to children before, but at the same time I know people that do that or have done that and have never had a problem. My 10 month old daughter has to have a bottle before bed too. I only put nursery water in hers. She had to get used to not having her formula but it seems she won't do without her bottle. I'm guessing it's a security thing. Either way, good luck with what you decide.

I have heard that I gave my daughter milk until she was about 13 months then when I switched to a sippy cup at night with just water, I am sure it is fine until you switch her,

It is bad for teeth, but at this stage how many teeth does your baby really have anyway, and this probably isn't a long term solution. I nursed my son (now 25 months) to sleep every night until he was 15 months old and I never woke him to brush his teeth after. His teeth are perfect and he has no signs of decay. I have heard that the juice and sugary snacks (gummy fruits, etc) that they start eating after the formula/breastmilk stage is what is worse for their teeth. Thats when you should be sure to brush every night before bed. Until then, enjoy letting her fall asleep with the comfort of a bottle (just not for too many more months). :)

I would say it is not necessarily good for her teeth and yes you should try to stop. I only say that because of my experiences with my daughter.

My daughter is 6 and when she was almost 3 we found out that her molars developed without enamel. Due to this and the fact that she was getting milk from a cup (warmed up) at night she required two crowns and fillings.

It was by far one of the most horrible experiences I have had to face as a mother. We went to two pediatric dentists, one was a complete disappointment but they both had the same rules... the child goes back WITHOUT you. The first few times I could hear her screaming through the walls and door. Then after that going became a routine.

We now go every 6 months and my son started going at age 1. I was so nervous about his teeth. And he never had milk in a bottle/cup before bed.

I don't mean to freak you out but you never know what will happen, how was I to know that she already had an issue with her teeth?

Maybe you could find another relaxing bedtime routine that will put her down with ease. I hope this helps.

How many teeth does she have? If they are almost all in, I may suggest weaning her a bit. Otherwise, I think you have a little time. My 15 month old still occasionally falls asleep with a bottle of whole organic milk, but on nights she doesn't, I do brush the 10 teeth she has so she can get used to it. I wouldn't worry about it until 18 months...but the sooner you can get her to bed without a bottle or rocking her to sleep, the better for you!!

All the dentist and ped's say that this is true when drinking from a bottle. If you still want to do it anyway, then i suggest wiping her teeth (all surfaces) and gums with a burp cloth wrapped around your finger after she's done. This will also help her prepare for brushing teeth (which you're probably already doing anyway) and dental visits in the future.

Hi C., I have a 13 month old too and I had the same question. I was wondering how much milk does she take a day? My daughter loves her milk in a bottle and she takes up to 30oz per day. I am having a very hard time cutting her back.Do you only give her milk before bed? and why do you still mix it with formula?

C.,
Is she drinking all of it before you put her to bed or is she in her bed with the bottle? If you hold her and she finishes it that should be fine but I would say don't let her have it in the crib. That's where the problem with her teeth can start. Good luck!
T.

I did the same for my 3 & my daughter was the only one to have cavities but I think it was too much apple juice. If I had to do it over again I would avoid apple juice, raisins & fruit snacks. The pedodontist said that raisins & fruit smnacks should be outlawed cause they stick to the teeth.

If you plan to give milk before bedtime, you really should brush the teeth. :)

It's only bad for them if you let them fall asleep with the bottle in their mouth throughout the night. I would always wipe my sons gums with a wet washcloth at night even if he had fallen asleep to make sure no milk was left. Also I know this is obvious, but I would use a wash cloth that was for this purpowe only.

I was also concerned about this issue, since my daughter took a bottle of milk to bed with her until she turned four! At her first dental check up (I think she was 2 or 2 1/2 at the time), I was ready to be told my daughter had all kinds of tooth problems. Nope. At least in her case, having a bottle of milk before bed did not result in any problems.

it is okay if you brush her teeth. there is baby toothpaste and baby toothbrushes - a few swipes will do.

It's not good for the teeth. Stop the bottle and baby will stop pottying during the night...you can start potty training. Mine were potty trained at 10 1/2 months and 13 1/2 months. People don't have to wait until child is 3, 4, or 5. YUCH! You can do this mom. They'll let you know if they are not ready. Then stop for 2-3 weeks and start again.

Hi C.,

If you could quickly swab her teeth/gums after her bottle, that would help a lot. Or if she likes water give her a bit in a sippy right after drinking the milk to wash her mouth.

M.

"It is bad for teeth, but at this stage how many teeth does your baby really have anyway".....ACK! As a dental assistant I heard this a lot! "They are baby teeth, why does it matter?" Ummm because they are going to have some of them until they are 12?? Children are incapable of taking care of them so we need to take care of them for them. Even with my 9 year old it is a struggle to get to her to brush twice a day, she doesn't see the point of it.
Think of it in terms of time...your baby will have some of those baby teeth until they are 12, that's a long time! And adult teeth? between 60 and 70 YEARS if they are lucky. WOW!
Believe me, I have seen the struggle people go through that have lost teeth and had the surrounding teeth shift or rot. Dentures...EW!
Now that I have given the lecture :P. Try and change it out to just water. This is a good bottle to start weaning her off. Start giving her a cup of warm milk and then go brush her teeth. =)

it's difficult i have the same with my 14 mo old. i try to brush her teeth quickly afterwards (they dont need to rinse yet) and otherwise try not to worry too much, the're milkteeth anyways and she may gradually grow out of it.
good luck

We did that with my 12 year old, the only difference is we left the bottle in his mouth and eventually took it out after he was fast asleep. Almost all of his teeth were affected by this. He had to get a lot of his baby teeth capped because they were rotten. I wouldn't advice you doing this unless you plan on waking her up to brush her teeth.

God bless,
A concerned mother

My third liked his sippy cup with milk as he went to sleep. To my horror, at age two I noticed a hole in his front tooth one day when he was barely two. I thought something horrible had happened. Turned out he just had two cavities in his front tooth which the dentist atttributed to the cup in the crib. Getting that dealt with was an absolute nightmare. Yuck. Needless to say, he has had nothing but water in his crib ever after. He wasn't thrilled but actually adjusted to the change pretty quickly. And, he is now three with no further tooth problems. Good luck with it. Best, J.