Dear Michelle:

"When in doubt, blame breastfeeding."  That is often the first response
from any medical professional.

Sigh.

I researched this topic when my second baby, at age 2, was found to have
soft enamel. Her baby teeth were so fragile she once went from a healthy
tooth to a crown in 6 months. We started going to the dentist every 3
months to catch any decay before it got too far.

Like you, my first child also nursed night and day with no problems. No
soda in the house, no candy, no routine sweets. Our style of eating is
old-fashioned, we prepare our food using raw ingredients.

Like you, I was told to stop nursing at night. Now how in the world could I
do that? What I did do was switch sides all night long, learning to turn
myself regularly, so that all her teeth would be equally exposed to my
milk. There is logic to that thought, but maybe no sense at all.

I dug into the research and found studies and talked with several dentists.

One dentist described to me a family that he worked with. 6 kids. All
bottle-fed formula. 5 had perfect teeth. The 6th had baby teeth with soft
enamel that were a mess of cavities in toddlerhood. Same family. Same
circumstance. Same water supply. (You don't hear anyone blaming formula!)

It's probably a genetic thing. . . I've not found any strong evidence one
way or the other.

As the biological age of human weaning is between 2.5 and 7 years, (from
Dettwyler's research), does it make any sense that prolonged nursing would
ruin teeth??

My baby with the soft tooth enamel has gone on to have lovely adult teeth,
and excellent dental hygiene.

warmly,
-- 
Nikki Lee RN, BSN, Mother of 2, MS, IBCLC, CCE, CIMI, ANLC, CKC, RYT
Reviews Editor,* Clinical Lactation*
www.nikkileehealth.com
Pronouns: she/her/hers
*Communications are confidential and meant only for whom they are
addressed.*

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