Are you about to become a mother or have you just become one? There are so many anxieties, fears, fears that follow one another in this wonderful period that a woman lives. There are many questions at the birth of your child and too many answers that are not always consistent with each other, indeed often even contradictory.

Opinions are also varied and conflicting on breastfeeding. However, whether it is natural (at the breast), or artificial (with a bottle), one aspect not to be overlooked is the health of the baby’s mouth that needs attention like all other parts of the body. Here are some indications to clarify the relationship between teeth and breastfeeding and useful tips on how to behave in matters of oral hygiene.

Breastfeeding and oral health: the benefits

Breastfeeding is an important act for the newborn, not only because it strengthens the mother-child bond, but also because, from a physiological point of view, it strengthens the baby’s immune system and reduces the risk of developing childhood allergies and obesity. In mothers, on the other hand, it reduces the risk of breast and ovarian cancers. Perhaps, however, not all new mothers know that breastfeeding also produces beneficial effects on the oral health of the newborn, such as facilitating the correct development of the dental arches. Choosing the best nursing cream is most essential.

Several recent studies have shown that babies are exclusively breastfed for the first 6 months of life have fewer problems with positioning of the dental arches such as open bite, crossbite or deep bite, compared to those who breastfed for less time or not at all. .

This does not imply that an exclusively breastfed baby will never need to wear braces: other factors, such as genetics, the use of a pacifier or the habit of sucking the finger, dental caries and more can have negative effects on the development of the dental arches.

Breastfeeding and oral hygiene

How to reduce the risk of tooth decay in the child

Another benefit of breastfeeding is that it reduces the risk of developing bottle-borne cariesborne , due to prolonged exposure of the baby teeth to the sugar contained in infant formula, fruit juices and other beverages administered. This type of problem is more common in babies who go to bed with a bottle. It is important to respect the physiological times of weaning, as after the first 6 months the mother’s milk gradually loses its nutritional properties, it contains almost exclusively sugars that can damage the baby’s teeth.   

So even breast milk, just like formula, contains sugar

For this reason it is very important to take care of children’s oral hygiene from the first days of life .

Before teething begins, obviously, the toothbrush cannot be used: in this phase, to clean the baby’s mouth it is sufficient to gently pass on the gums and on the few teeth that are erupting a sterile, moistened gauze wrapped around the finger, or the ‘special rubber finger.

Deciduous dentition: when the first teeth are born

The first dentition or deciduous dentition is a very important stage in the growth and developmental development of the child. Teeth form and calcify in the jawbones during intrauterine life, but gradually erupt from the gums, almost always around the sixth month. Growth is completed around two and a half years.