What Causes It

You’ve heard it before and you’ll hear it again—sugar is terrible for your teeth. The same is true with children, who can experience tooth decay if they frequently drink sugary drinks and then the sugar is left to sit on their teeth for long periods of time. Baby bottle tooth decay can also happen if you let your child go to bed with a bottle filled with a sweet drink. Tooth decay happens as a result of bad bacteria in the mouth that can cause cavities. Even if you’re careful about not letting your child have too many sugary drinks, you could pass bacteria from your mouth to your baby’s mouth if you share utensils, etc. Tooth decay is generally result of a combination of these factors when it comes to baby bottle tooth decay.

How to Prevent It

Tooth decay is preventable for your toddler! To help prevent baby bottle tooth decay, try not to let your saliva end up in your child’s mouth, whether it be from sharing food or cleaning pacifiers. You can also clean your baby’s gums by wiping them with a clean cloth after each meal. When the baby teeth arrive, you can already start brushing them gently!

Other healthy habits include never letting your child drink sugary drinks out of a bottle, which should only be reserved for milk, and don’t let them go to sleep with their bottle. Around the age of one, your child should be able to drink from a cup. Encourage this as well as healthy eating so your child has minimal chances of developing tooth decay among their baby teeth!

How Important Are Checkups?

Dentists are trained to notice the signs of tooth decay long before you would ever see a problem. Pain is often the last sign that things are going wrong and the teeth are damaged. Taking your child in for a checkup when their baby teeth come in can ensure everything is healthy in your baby’s mouth and that tooth decay isn’t already happening. Baby teeth are important because they allow the permanent teeth to come through properly in the jaw—you can think of it as saving space for the adult teeth to come in.

Baby bottle tooth decay is preventable, and your child can have healthy baby teeth to encourage the growth of healthy adult teeth! Remember that sugar isn’t just damaging to your child’s body—it’s also not good for their oral health, especially if their mouths are exposed to sugar for lengthy amounts of time. If you haven’t already, schedule a visit with your dentist for your child if their baby teeth have started to come in. Developing healthy habits early can save your child’s teeth!

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Yes, Gum Chewing Has Been Linked to Bruxism

Did you know that chewing on non-edible objects such as pencils or gum can actually lead to teeth grinding? This is because it encourages your jaw muscles to clench and increases your chances of grinding your teeth at times when you’re not chewing gum. When you’re chewing gum, your jaw muscles aren’t able to relax. This leads to your muscles being more familiar with the clenching and grinding feeling of constantly chewing.

When this happens, your muscles may be more adept to feel comfortable doing these things even when you’re not chewing gum. It’s important to remember that your jaw should be able to relax and not always be stimulated! This will help reduced your chances of developing the habit of grinding your teeth. Let’s look at what you can do to prevent teeth grinding.

What Can You Do?

If you often chew gum and have jaw pain, it’s time to call the dentist. You may be unknowingly grinding your teeth and causing lasting damage to your smile. While the occasional episode of bruxism won’t hurt you, developing a habit of it will. You can actually wear your teeth down, damage the roots (which can cause painful sensitivity and root damage, eventually leading to root canals), lose enamel, and you could even lose your teeth.

It’s important to know that there is treatment for bruxism. If you suspect you’re grinding your teeth, visit your dentist. He or she can inspect your mouth for any damage as well as talk with you about treatments. Besides limiting or excluding chewing gum from your life, try to relax. Don’t chew gum all the time, if at all. If you’re stressed or anxious, this can encourage you to grind your teeth as well.

Develop relaxation habits, schedule time for yourself, or exercise to help manage your stress. Your dentist may also suggest a custom nightly mouth guard if your teeth grinding is happening at night to limit the damage you do to your teeth!

If you grind your teeth, it’s a good idea to kick the chewing gum habit. Encourage your jaw muscles to relax! Visit your dentist to ensure you aren’t damaging your smile for life. Teeth grinding is a dangerous habit, and chewing gum has been linked to encouraging teeth grinding due to the constant clenching of the jaws. Stay relax and talk with your dentist about what else you can do to overcome your teeth grinding habit. Your smile will thank you!

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