Nurshing Bottle Carries

Nursing caries is a form of tooth decay that is caused by children sleeping with bottles. This is also called baby bottle or nursing bottle tooth decay. It is caused when a child goes to bed with a bottle filled with milk or juice--anything except water. It usually affects children between the ages of one and two years. Breastfed infants who fall asleep while breastfeeding are also at risk.

The following are the most common signs and symptoms of nursing caries:

• White spots on the teeth
• Early development of cavities (brown areas on the tooth that lead to tooth destruction)

The following are suggestions to help prevent nursing caries:

• Do not allow your child to go to bed with a bottle filled with anything but water.
• Wean your child from the bottle in a timely manner.
• Begin good early mouth care of the gums and teeth.
• Give fluoride supplementation, as recommended by your child's doctor.
• Have early dental visits for your child.

Your dentist will ask you to remove any jewellery or metallic items from around the head and neck area as it can interfere with the image, blocking the x-ray. The OPG usually takes about 3 mins to complete, only 20 seconds of this are the image being taken.