Breastfeeding And Dental Health
Motherhood brings on changes in your body and new experiences in your life, with breastfeeding being at the forefront. Breastfeeding has wonderful health benefits for the baby, but what does it really entail? How does breastfeeding affect your child’s dental health? What other oral factors can influence how well your baby can breastfeed? Read below as our guest blogger and dentist, Dr. Priya Patel, breaks it down!
It is commonly misconstrued that breast milk causes dental caries. Breast milk alone does not cause dental caries, and there are various studies supporting this thought. Breast milk contains lactoferrin, a protein, that has been found to help prevent the growth of bacteria that causes tooth decay. Various studies have not provided conclusive evidence that babies that are breastfed throughout the night, fed on demand or have been breastfed for a prolonged amount of time have a higher incidence of dental caries than babies who have not. However, there is overwhelming research that indicates that milk along with sugars contained in other foods are the main source of dental caries. Moreover, it has been found that breastfeeding helps reduce the incidence of baby bottle teeth. This is tooth decay that commonly occurs when a baby is put to sleep with a bottle containing milk or formula. The sugar pools in the baby’s mouth overnight and causes decay, primarily in the upper teeth.
So, does this mean you should stop breastfeeding once your child has teeth? No, not if you are not ready yet! There are many steps you can take to practice good oral hygiene habits and prevent tooth decay. These steps include wiping your baby’s gums with a warm washcloth even if no teeth are present, brushing teeth twice a day with an extremely small amount of fluoride toothpaste to prevent decay, and minimizing the amount of sticky, sugary foods your child eats. Finally, scheduling your child’s first dental visit, around the age of one, is important for caries prevention and detection.
It is known that breastfeeding has effects on oral health, but there are also factors of your baby’s oral anatomy that can affect your ability to nurse. Moreover, breastfeeding can potentially influence the growth and alignment of your child’s jaw and teeth.
Breastfeeding, for however natural the process is supposed to be, can be quite difficult, especially for new moms! The most common issue mother’s encounter is the child’s inability to latch properly, thus resulting in less expressed milk. Sometimes the cause of these issues may be due to a tongue tie or lip tie in the baby’s mouth.
Tongue tie, or anklyoglossia, is the abnormal attachment of the tongue to the floor of the oral cavity. Maxillary lip tie is the abnormal attachment of the upper lip to the gingiva. Both these conditions are typically caused by short, thick frenums and can be resolved by a procedure called frenectomy. Both tongue and lip tie can cause feeding issues – the baby is unable to latch or has a shallow latch thus leading to less expressed milk. This leads to frustration on both the mother and baby.
In these instances it is important to consult proper specialists to rule out any other factors that may be causing difficulties in nursing. Frenectomies are a widely debated topic with an array of risks and benefits. It is important to get a proper diagnosis and be well informed before deciding how to proceed. Speaking with lactation consultants, pediatric dentists, pediatricians and surgeons can be very helpful and important. Many times, minor lip and tongue tie issues may not be the sole cause for latching difficulties.
If you are able to overcome these challenges and nurse effectively, it can become a wonderful experience for you to bond with your baby. Besides the health benefits of nursing, some studies have shown that babies who nursed have good jaw growth due to use of the orofacial muscles. Moreover, they have lower chances of teeth misalignment issues, like open bite and crossbite. With that being said, this does not mean your child won’t need braces! Other factors such as oral habits ( i.e. pacifier use, thumbsucking) and genetics also play a role in teeth alignment.
These benefits alone are not reasons to breastfeed your child. Many times, new moms, in the stress of trying to breastfeed neglect themselves. As always, it is important you take care of yourself, that includes your physical and mental wellbeing. The decision to breastfeed or not should be made with consideration for what is best for mother and baby, not in fear of the effects on the child’s dental health. Having the proper information and reaching out to specialists can allow you to make a proper informed decision on your and your baby’s health.
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