Formula,bottles and teeth

[lau86]

Does anyone know what the recommendations are for bottles of formula when a baby has teeth? My dd has her 2 front bottom ones and has a bottle before bed but after she brushes them. Is this the correct thing to do?

 

[donnarobinson]

That's what I've always done and kids teeth are fine some x

 

[MindUtopia]

As a baby, yes, it's generally considered to be fine, as long as she isn't going to sleep with the bottle (like you don't leave it in the cot for her to feed on all night long). The concern with bottles and teeth is mostly about the long-term effects of the sugar in formula staying on the teeth for long stretches of time. So if you were offering formula at bedtime, leaving the bottle there in the cot all night for her to suck on for comfort, and doing that for years, well into toddlerhood, then that would be more of a concern for tooth decay. Formula is relatively sugary (relative to milk or water) so it's just when it's on the teeth in small amount over and over all night without brushing. Just having some before bed shouldn't cause any problems, even if you don't brush after, as long as she doesn't have lots sugary foods and drinks otherwise. My daughter is 3.5 now. She had formula in a bottle up til 1 and then milk in a cup since then (she still has a cup of milk before bed). We have always brushed her teeth in the bath and then she has her milk after. The dentist was totally fine with that and her teeth are perfect. But she's never been left to suck on bottles for comfort between feeds and she doesn't have sugary foods and drinks. I think what you're doing sounds perfectly fine, even if you weren't to brush after, as long as you're taking care of her teeth otherwise. I'd just switch to milk after 1, as it's lower in sugar.

 

[lau86]

I saw the hv today and she said I shouldn't be giving milk after they've brushed teeth? I honestly don't know how this is going to be possible. She only drinks that one bottle as it is. What a mess

 

[lau86]

The only thing I can think is that I give her the bottle and then brush her teeth around 30 minutes later

 

[Twag]

Honestly what you are doing is just fine HV sadly do not know everything like they let us believe!

My son who is now 2.5 had a bottle of formula before bed after his teeth were brushed and now he has a cup of milk and the dentist said this was fine

I tend to trust a dentist over a HV tbh