As a nursing mother, you most likely know the benefits of breastfeeding your child. Breastfeeding has been linked to everything from lowering the occurrences of gastrointestinal infections to helping to prevent weight problems. What you might not know is that breastfeeding can have an impact on both your and your baby's dental health. 

How Does Breastfeeding Impact Your Baby's Dental Health?

Breastfeeding is a more complex and sophisticated operation than most people realize. The act requires your child's muscles, jaw, and tongue to work in concert to feed. Breastfeeding also requires more exertion from your baby than bottle feeding would. 

As a result of the exertion required, your child is less likely to experience a misalignment of his or her teeth. A study found that the chance of a child having a misalignment issue, such as an overbite, was reduced by one third. 

Another benefit to breastfeeding is that your child has a lesser chance of having baby-bottle tooth decay. The condition usually occurs when a child's teeth are exposed to sugar for extended periods of time. For instance, when a parent puts a child to bed with a bottle, the formula or juice from the bottle tends to linger in his or her mouth. 

However, with breastfeeding, your child does not have this prolonged exposure to sugar. It is important to note that your child can still develop the condition without proper dental care, but his or her chances are reduced through breastfeeding. Proper dental care includes wiping your baby's gums until he or she gets the first tooth. After that, use a toothbrush to clean.

How Does Breastfeeding Impact Your Dental Health?

Although there are a number of benefits to your child from breastfeeding, it can sometimes have the opposite impact on you. For instance, while women are lactating, it is not uncommon for them to experience some bone loss due to the need for calcium in their babies' milk. In most instances, bone density returns to normal after breastfeeding stops. 

To combat the changes in your bone density, ensure that you are getting enough calcium in your diet. If you cannot naturally work more calcium into your diet, talk to your OB/GYN about taking a supplement. 

You also need to be wary about staying hydrated. Breastfeeding can sometimes lead to dry mouth for the mother. Dry mouth is not only annoying but can also leave you vulnerable to gum disease. Without saliva in your mouth to wash away harmful bacteria, the bacteria remain on your teeth and can cause tooth decay.

You and your baby should check in on a regular basis with a family dentist, such as one from Crest Hill Family Dental. He or she can assess your and your baby's dental condition and make recommendations for keeping your dental health up to par.

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