Can Pacifiers and Baby Bottles Ruin My Babys Teeth?
Sucking is an innate reflex that babies develop and practice in the womb as they prepare for their first meal. Sucking is so important to a child’s development that it is comforting well into a child’s first years of life — long after he or she no longer needs to get nourishment from a breast or bottle. While sucking is tailor-made for an infant’s nutrition, most children will also find comfort by sucking on hands, fingers or pacifiers. This “non-nutritive sucking” is soothing, but is it a problem? Are Pacifiers a Problem? During a child’s first few years, sucking habits are unlikely to cause significant damage to a child’s mouth. But persistent and long-term sucking, especially after the permanent teeth begin to come into the mouth around age 6, can cause: • The top front teeth to slant out. • The bottom front teeth to tilt in. • The upper and lower jaws to be misaligned. • The roof of the mouth to be narrowed. Here are a few things you can do: • If your infant uses a pacifier, buy on
