Smile, Baby!

Mama’s Healthy Smile Keeps Baby Healthy

It’s a well-known fact that good oral care is important during pregnancy, but what about after baby’s born? How does mommy’s smile affect baby’s smile?

According to dental researchers, there is a direct connection between the bacteria in a mother’s mouth and the bacteria in a baby or small child’s mouth. This especially holds true for the harmful bacteria known to cause tooth decay.

Streptococcus mutans is a bacteria commonly found in human mouths. S. mutans produces lactic acid which erodes tooth enamel allowing for increased tooth decay.

S. mutans can be transmitted from a mother or another caregiver to an infant or child via saliva. For instance, by allowing infants or children to put their fingers in the parent’s mouth and then into their own mouths, testing the temperature of a bottle with the mouth, sharing forks and spoons, sharing food and “cleaning” a pacifier or a bottle nipple that has fallen by sucking on it before giving it back to the infant or child.

Even if an infant or child is already infected with S. mutans, transmission can increase the concentration of bacteria in the infant’s or child’s mouth, increasing the likelihood of tooth decay or resulting in more severe decay.

Parents and caregivers can take extra precaution against the possibility of sharing oral bacteria and can add their childrens’ oral care to their long list of reasons to remember to schedule a trip to the dentist!