Nursing Your Infant Is Good for Their Oral Health

If you are breastfeeding your baby, congratulations! Your breastmilk can help your infant deter infections and lower health risks such as asthma, ear infections, SIDS and obesity in children. But, there are other benefits as well. Today we’re going to talk about a few ways your baby benefits from breastfeeding.

According to the Journal of the American Dental Association, babies who were breastfed for the first six months of their lives were less like to have problems with their teeth alignment. This includes having fewer problems with open bites, crossbites, and overbites than those who were never breastfed or who were breastfed for less time.

As for breastfeeding when your child is teething, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends nursing for your baby’s first year, and the World Health Organization even recommends two years. Whenever you choose to stop breastfeeding, it doesn’t have to be because your baby’s teeth are coming in.

Your little one also benefits from your breastfeeding efforts is by lowering the risk of having baby bottle tooth decay. This disease arises when a baby’s teeth are frequently exposed to drinks which are laden with containing sugar. This happens when your baby goes to bed with a bottle, whether it is filled with juice, formula, or milk as this bathes their chompers in sugar.

We are happy to address any oral health concerns you may have while you are nursing your infant, and you can reach out to our dentist, Dr. Troy Hardy. Our Copper Cove Pediatric Dentistry team in Herriman, Utah, can be reached by calling 801-446-2080.