A primary concern is Baby Bottle Tooth Decay, a serious dental condition caused by long, frequent exposure to liquids such as milk (including breast milk), formula and fruit juice. Putting a baby to bed for a nap or at night with a bottle other than with just water can cause serious and rapid tooth decay. These liquids pool around the teeth thereby giving plaque bacteria an opportunity to produce acids that attack enamel. Often times the parent is not aware of this process because it occurs on the inside of the upper front teeth where it is not easily visible.

After each feeding it would be wise to wipe or brush the baby's teeth with a damp washcloth or gauze pad to remove food and plaque. The easiest way to do this is to sit down, place the child's head in your lap or lay the child back on a flat surface. Your position should enable you to see into the child's mouth easily, and visualize the teeth that need to be brushed. Do not use toothpaste until the age of 18 months at which time you should only place a small pea size drop of toothpaste on the brush. Ingestion of large amounts of toothpaste on a daily basis could result in fluorosis (mottling) of the permanent teeth.