QUESTION: We are developing a dangerous generation-gap between my mother and myself concerning the hazards of breast feeding to developing teeth.
She has a whole list of abnormalities which she claims are due to the effort my baby seems to be putting out during feedings.
Can this really cause crooked teeth later on, or am I developing maternal anxieties unnecessarily?
ANSWER: Put your worries aside, and let mother read this.
My authority is no less than the Academy of General Dentistry, and they are all for breast feeding and the nutritional and psychological benefits it provides newborns and infants, but now feel there may be definite advantages to tooth development as well.
A study conducted by the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health which reviewed the dental history of more than 9000 children to see if teeth were crooked and then with history of breast feeding, indicates that children bottle fed or breast fed for less than a year had a 40% greater chance of misaligned teeth than breast fed babies.
It seems that during breast feeding the babies develop stronger mouth muscles as they work at suckling, as your child does, and that the result is proper growth and alignment of teeth.
As this and other advantages of this natural nutrition become more and more apparent, the numbers of mothers breast feeding their babies has increased 31% to 56% from the low of 25% in 1970.
It's time your mother caught up with you and the millions of mothers providing their babies with the best nutrition possible mother's milk.
The material contained here is "FOR INFORMATION ONLY" and should not replace the counsel and advice of your personal physician.
Promptly consulting your doctor is the best path to a quick and successful resolution of any medical problem.
