Devastated by 22 month old tooth decay

[Mumanddone]

my toddler went for her first dental check up today. Even before the dentist looked in her mouth she asked me about breastfeeding and told me to limit it. She said DD has decay on top teeth and referred me to the community dental nurse. I’m devastated. My daughter has never had bottles or juice or much sugar (none before 1 and occasionally has had sugar since then). We brush her teeth.

yes, we breastfeed a lot. We bedshare and she’s prone to popping on and off the boob as and when (breastsleeping means I hardly notice when she’s drinking so no idea how many times a night she does). I feel awful that our breastfeeding habits could have caused this. The dentist said only expressed milk from now on in a cup if I want her to drink breastmilk.

I have been putting limits on daytime feeding for the past couple of months and she’s been feeding just in the morning, once in the afternoon and before bed (which is great) but I have always loved feeding her at night and it’s never caused issues.

I am so concerned and I know I will have to start night weaning but I simply can’t handle tears and to be honest, I am so worried that our peaceful quiet nights are over because she’ll be crying for the boob.

I feel like I’ve failed her doing the thing everyone told me to do (breastfeeding). Has anyone experienced this? How should I move forward?

Well it's really good you took her to the dentist. I don't think my 3 year old has been. I must book him in.

I think you don't need to do anything cold turkey. Maybe have a strategy to phase it out over the next 4 weeks.

My toddler doesn't have decay yet but I was told to stop feeding immediately by our dentist when she was 18 months to avoid it happening. "Can't you just pump if you're so obsessed with her having milk?" It really upset me. This link is worth a read- www.laleche.org.uk/breastfeeding-dental-health/

On the extended breastfeeding group I'm in on Facebook a lot of the mums have had this experience. It's fairly widely accepted that tooth decay is more likely down to genetics though. Be kind to yourself x

I thought there was no evidence to support breast feeding being a cause of tooth decay. Ask your dentist to give you links to studies and scientific papers that prove this, so you can read them. I realise it is decades since I breast fed my DC, but I continued well into the second year with all of them and none had any dental problems.

Tbh I think there’s more of a genetic link rather than breastfeeding. Perhaps someone smarter than me can give you better insight

I don’t really have any advice but want to tell you not to be so hard on yourself. You’ve done an amazing thing breastfeeding your child and getting them to a dentist at this age. You are clearly a great mum who has nothing but your child’s best interests at heart. It’s so bloody hard but it sounds like you’re doing amazing.

I fed both of mine until they were two, and took them to the dentist regularly (in those halcyon days when you could get an appointment and they were doing regular things, like check-ups, not any more post-pandemic). Not once did I get told that this was a problem, and I was going to rot their teeth.

More was made of giving them water instead of juice and how to brush their teeth, and getting higher fluoride toothpaste for them because we are in a low fluoride area.

Are you sure its not genetic? I don't see what you've done wrong here, personally.

tooth decay in toddlers can be caused by regular and constant illness. Ie if your daughter was getting vomiting bugs followed by colds or viral illnesses and getting run down, her tooth development can be affected. Happened to one of mine who was also diagnosed with failure to thrive. Her second set of teeth were fine and it was nothing to do with breastfeeding. Blaming it on breastfeeding is just an old wives tale unsupported by any recent research.

There is no link between breastfeeding and tooth decay.
It's more likely enamel hypoplasia, find a new dentist who knows what they are talking about.

Prolonged breastfeeding is certainly linked to tooth decay
www.nature.com/articles/sj.bdj.2017.652

Op the most damage will be happening at night so definitely try and reduce, don’t feel bad though you sound like a great mum

I would suggest it's sugar , you say she eats 'some,' what does she eat and how much is some?

Anyway, it's done now and that's why we have baby teeth so we can get it right the second time round 😉

I’m not sure about the decay but I gave up breastfeeding when my daughter was about 2 and a half. I put plasters on my nipples and told her they were broken. First night she woke up 3 times and we had cuddles some water and she went back to sleep second night woke once and third night onwards we were fine. We still co sleep but it wasn’t traumatic at all. You are doing a great job.

Please don't beat yourself up! My middle ds had tooth decay at about the same age, caused by weak enamel on his baby teeth and consumption of grapes. I was gutted as he so rarely had sweets, never, ever sugary drinks and was in a great teeth cleaning routine. When his adult teeth came through the enamel was fine and he now (aged 20) has a strong set of gnashers with no fillings at all. Mind you, he had braces for 2 years aged 16 but you can't win at everything!

It stands to reason that any teat (boob or bottle) is holding and rubbing the milk around the testh and gums a lot more that drinking from a cup I don't think you need to see evidence it is common sense. I understand babies being breast and bottle fed as they are too little for a cup but once they reach a year they should have a cup. Feeding a 2 year old through the night is crazy behaviour why don't you want your child to let go of the baby stage an develop normally like a toddler now You arnt doing her any favours.

I breast fed mine until 3, and night fed. Neither had any tooth decay and they have really healthy adult teeth.

We bedshare and she’s prone to popping on and off the boob as and when (breastsleeping means I hardly notice when she’s drinking so no idea how many times a night she does)

So this is the issue. She (her teeth) continually have contact with a sugary substance over a prolonged period of time. She is probably falling asleep with a mouth full of milky film. Not great.

I genuinely think that tooth decay in many cases is genetic . I have three children and my oldest had to have tooth extraction when she was four . She always cooperated with teeth cleaning and is now in her 20s and has so many dental problems.
My son on the other hand was a nightmare as a child cleaning his teeth and also as a teenager.
His teeth are perfect and he has never had any problems.
My other son also has perfect teeth and always has cleaned them well.
So three children eating the same diet and all different scenarios 🤷‍♀️
Husband has rubbish teeth and my teeth have always been ok apart from a few fillings and one abscess in my 50s !

Thank you.

This is very encouraging. My daughter loves grapes and all sorts of fruits really. I suppose no more fruit as snacks.

I'm really sorry OP, we're always told about the wonders of breastfeeding but I've read several threads on here from women with the same experience as you. No advice but I really sympathise.

I haven't read the studies but I seriously struggle to believe that this alone would cause decay, historically, humans would have done this (and not had fluoride toothpaste either) and they didn't all have roten teeth did they? I'm not talking about the industrial revolution time period/introduction of mass sugar consumption when of course they did I'm talking about before that.

I remember reading an interesting history on sugar and its I'll effects on health and they referred to how 'unreached peoples' rarely had bad teeth despite not brushing.

I would presume this is unfortunately genetic. You have done an amazing thing by giving your daughter the benefits of your milk which is teeming with life enriching benefits which no doubt we still don't know all of them.

I breastfed until my son was 3 1/2. By the end he only fed at night. I tried to stick with the pattern of feeding him then teeth brushing but falling asleep feeding was his favourite thing and it was very difficult to stop. I had to reduce the time he had gradually until I was just counting to 10 then stopping, then 5 and stopping. It took ages but didn't distress him and was worth it. His teeth are grand.

I follow her lead. She hasn’t stopped breastfeeding and it is comforting for her. However I am so upset it has caused health issues. I do also credit extended breastfeeding with making her extremely well adjusted and bright to an extent but I think it may be time to stop.

I don’t think cold turkey will do any good for either of us but I agree that its now definitely time to put measures in place to reduce breastfeeding.

Thank you. This is what hurts. All those hours and hours of feeding and I’ve harmed her.

She loves fruit and eats a lot of that. Other sugars, we limit to special days out eg sharing a scoop of ice cream with daddy or having a bite of gingerbread when we’re out at a cafe. I see toddlers her age with packets of Crisps and chocolate and she’s nothing like that