Concerned Mom

“Dear dentist,

When is the earliest you can bring your child to the dentist? Is there such a thing as bringing them too early? My 2 year old barely has teeth, but has an unpleasant odor in the mouth in the morning. We are still breast feeding, is this bad? What are the effects of breast milk on teeth? Should I stop now that almost all of her teeth are in? We brush every morning, but perhaps there is more that I could be doing for her?

Thank you,

A Concerned Mom”

Dear ACM,

I see a lot of questions asked, and even more that are relevant that are left unasked, so first off, let me start by answering the questions you have posed in the order that they were posted in. You can bring your child to a pediatric dentist from the moment they have teeth, and you should bring them by the time they are 3 even if there are no apparent problems. Too early? I guess that would be when the kid does not have teeth yet. If the child has teeth, there is something for the dentist to inspect.

Now on to breast feeding. Breast feeding is completely natural and normal at 2 years of age. When we wean children is the subject of much controversy, but needlessly so. This is a culturally driven issue, and once the child can digest solid foods at 6 months, breast milk is not necessary to their diet, as they can now digest regular food. However it is much simpler to breast feed, as this way you can be sure that your child is receiving all of the nutrients that s/he may need. Breast milk is actually good for the teeth, because it has high levels of calcium and magnesium, two of the essential building blocks of hair teeth and bones. Breast milk is also high in sugars, and the baby needs to have his or her teeth brushed twice a day. And this brings us to our most important point.

If your baby has milk breath in the morning, that means you should brush their teeth more often. You should brush gently but firmly, making sure you do not damage the forming enamel, but make sure you do get all around, to counteract the bacteria that may be feeding off of the milk that is in the mouth. Brush twice a day at least, before going to bed and right before the first meal of the day.

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