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Kissing your baby on the mouth gives them cavity, warns dentist
Kissing is one of the purest forms of affection between the mother and her child. But did you know the precious gesture could cause dental issues in the baby?
A dentist explains that kissing can be as detrimental to your teeth as artificial sugar and unhealthy foods or drinks. Here’s how you can prevent cavities from spreading to your little one.
A mother can give her child a cavity
It’s not a myth that you can get cavities from kissing, although babies are more likely to be affected by this. Certified dentist Dr. Suhail Mohiuddin�explains what happens during the kissing process.
A kiss or any contact with an adult’s saliva can pass on cavity-causing bacteria called streptococcus mutans to the child, thus causing their teeth to decay.
The chances of the bad bacteria entering the child’s mouth are higher in vertical transmission, which occurs between the child and the parents.
“As adults, we have a ton of bacteria in our mouth – some of it good and some of it bad, which causes gum disease and cavities,” the dentist explains.
Newborns, however, lack a diverse colony of good bacteria. Therefore, the bad bacteria are quick to colonize their teeth when transmitted from others.
Avoid kissing on the mouth
One of the most effective ways to prevent the bad bacteria from passing on to your child is by avoiding kissing them on the mouth.
Dr. Suhail says while quoting the statistics from a study that 38% of the time, vertical transmission happens from kissing the baby on the lips, followed by 14% of the time from sharing utensils.
There are habits you can practice to delay the cavity-causing bacteria from colonizing your baby’s teeth while allowing the good ones to develop naturally.
Other than avoiding kissing them on the mouth, it’s recommended not to share utensils. It’s also important for a pregnant woman to go to a dentist before the baby is born and get all the cavities filled or treated.
Having graduated from the University of Michigan with a DDS (Doctor of Dental Surgery), Dr. Suhail boasts over 15 years of experience and millions of followers on social media. He is also the founder of Dentologie Dental Care Services in multiple US locations.
