SnowBirdie
11-13-2006, 03:29 AM
i know this topic comes up often when women bf for over a few months, so i thought i would share this info so you could be prepared if your child's dentist or ped (or your family) tries to tell you that bf will cause cavities. notice if you care to read it that the cdd has discarded the notion that bf is the cause of early childhood caries.
this link (http://www.hpakids.org/holistic-health/articles/20/1/Breastfeeding-Does-Not-Cause-Cavities/print/20) has some really good info, and there are scienfitic studies to back up the information the writer provides. if you don't care to read it all, a synopsis would be that bf does not cause cavities, and in fact has antibacterial properties that may help prevent decay. some kids are susceptible to decay because of genetics and exposure to moms's bacteria from her own mouth (only if she has a particular bacteria that does cause decay), but bf and bm do not cause decay, and even in susceptible kids a good diet and good oral hygiene made a big difference...weaning was not needed, despite what many dentists think.
this link (http://www.hpakids.org/holistic-health/articles/20/1/Breastfeeding-Does-Not-Cause-Cavities/print/20) has some really good info, and there are scienfitic studies to back up the information the writer provides. if you don't care to read it all, a synopsis would be that bf does not cause cavities, and in fact has antibacterial properties that may help prevent decay. some kids are susceptible to decay because of genetics and exposure to moms's bacteria from her own mouth (only if she has a particular bacteria that does cause decay), but bf and bm do not cause decay, and even in susceptible kids a good diet and good oral hygiene made a big difference...weaning was not needed, despite what many dentists think.