Baby Bottle Syndrome

Baby Bottle Syndrome is a devastating condition characterized by widespread decay of the primary dentition (baby teeth) and brought about by the practice of parents allowing infants and small children to fall asleep with a bottle containing a liquid that is either highly acidic or high in sugar content. Usually the front teeth are the first to be affected and they are affected as soon as they begin to erupt into the mouth. The first baby teeth may appear in infants as young as 2 or 3 months old so it is therefore recommended to avoid this practice no matter what age your child is.

Although it is recommended that children not be put to sleep with a bottle of any kind, if they must have a bottle at night, it should contain nothing more than pure water, or some other liquid containing no sugar and that is neutral in pH.

The following is a partial list of liquids that should not be in a night time bottle:

Juice of any kind (high pH)
Milk (High in lactose sugar content.)

The diagrams below show various stages of Baby Bottle Syndrome:

Healthy Primary Teeth

Mild Baby Bottle Syndrome

Moderate Baby Bottle Syndrome

Severe Baby Bottle Syndrome