S MUTANS?!?!

**Clarification!!! This post is not designed to make mom's paranoid, or tell anyone they are wrong in their ways. It is only to educate so that you can make informed decisions when it comes to your little one.

SO... Ever find your baby's pacifier on the floor?

haha... did I even need to ask that?

Well before I give you some advice let me tell you about a little bacteria called Streptococcus Mutans.

S. Mutans is the main culprit in intiation of caries (cavities). It's a mean little dude that resides in our mouth and feeds on the carbohydrates we consume--producing the acid that starts to form cavities.

S. Mutans is found in different levels in adult mouths. Those with higher incidence of caries have higher level of S. Mutans and vice versa.

There was a study recently done worth mentioning... They took a look at the colonization of S. Mutans in babies and found a couple of interesting things!

1. Frequency of sugar intake (so frequent snacking, eating over long periods of time, sipping from bottles and sippy cups at will) was ranked as the most important factor! (The bacteria can't thrive if you don't keep feeding them :))--so if your babe ate 3 crackers at once it would equal less acid exposure than 3 crackers over 3o minutes!

**This also applies to breast feeding... All carbohydrate intake will affect cavities!

AND

2. At 9 months old, babies with the highest level of S. Mutans were those that "were habitually kissed on the mouth, had food 'pre-tasted,' shared utensils" (and I might add "had mommy suck their binki to 'clean it')!

Here's the thing...

Once your baby erupts teeth--cavities are allowed to form... There is no age exemption if there are teeth in there! Studies show that S. Mutans levels in your little one's mouth truly correlate with caries they will experience!

Let me give you some advice for keeping unwelcome S. Mutans out of your life! (and to keep your baby from getting Early Childhood Caries--{aka Baby Bottle Caries},a discussion for another day)

1. As soon as your child has a tooth, switch from wiping the

gums, to GENTLY brushing those new teeth with a very soft baby toothbrush and water!

2. Limit the amount of "at will" feeding (child eating whenever they decide), and "all day sipping" on juices or sweet drinks... Have them drink their drink at one sitting, because remember, FREQUENCY of sugar intake is most important!!

3. Once that baby has teeth, AVOID dipping a bink in sugary things! (in fact, if you avoid this altogether it would not hurt my feelings :))

4. If you put your baby to bed with a bottle, ONLY WATER should be in that bottle... Because basically, once baby falls asleep, there is a pool of sugar in the mouth ready to feed S. Mutans and give your little love a cavity. *TIP* Give your baby a bottle, and then a drink of water from a sippy cup to help cleanse the mouth, and then place them in bed--it will soon be a habitual part of their routine, and they won't mind one bit!

AND

5. Back to that darn binki that always winds up on the floor!

*If you can help it, keep it out of your mouth (which is full of S. Mutans)... A rinse with water is usually the best way to go if you want to keep the level of S. Mutans under the radar. (This applies to anything in your mouth transferring to theirs)...

However, I'm not saying you shouldn't kiss your kids... You can bet I'll be kissing mine when they come! And after all, who wouldn't want to kiss this?!

Time Spent So Far: 4 hours