{"id":198,"date":"2025-02-17T18:47:05","date_gmt":"2025-02-17T18:47:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kidsdds.com\/blog\/?p=198"},"modified":"2025-02-17T18:47:05","modified_gmt":"2025-02-17T18:47:05","slug":"breastfeeding-can-benefit-baby-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kidsdds.com\/blog\/2025\/02\/17\/breastfeeding-can-benefit-baby-health\/","title":{"rendered":"3 Ways Breastfeeding Can Benefit Your Baby\u2019s Oral &amp; Overall Health"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-medium\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.kidsdds.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/AdobeStock_430354398__1___1739817918_68211-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"a parent nursing her child\" class=\"wp-image-199\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.kidsdds.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/AdobeStock_430354398__1___1739817918_68211-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.kidsdds.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/AdobeStock_430354398__1___1739817918_68211-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.kidsdds.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/AdobeStock_430354398__1___1739817918_68211.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>As a parent, especially if your child is an infant, you may feel a heavy load of pressure on your shoulders to do everything right. However, that\u2019s just not possible! You <em>can<\/em> make small, evidence-based decisions that offer unique benefits for your little one to help them thrive, like nursing. While every baby and parent are different, if you\u2019re able to, breastfeeding has a lot of advantages and is the professional recommendation for infants until they reach 12 months of age. Read on to learn some of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kidsdds.com\/preventive-dentistry.html\">oral and overall health benefits<\/a> breastfeeding has to offer your baby.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Breastfeeding &amp; Its Advantages<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>There are three main, evidence-based benefits of breastfeeding infants:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Build Even &amp; Healthy Bites:<\/strong> In the August 2017 issue of the <em>Journal of the American Dental Association<\/em>, a study found that babies who were breastfed for the first six months of their life had a reduced risk of malocclusion, or bite misalignment. While this doesn\u2019t mean that your baby will never require braces if they\u2019re breastfed, it does mean that they\u2019re less likely to require more extensive orthodontic intervention down the road.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Reduced Risk for Baby Bottle Tooth Decay:<\/strong> Baby bottle tooth decay is caused by regularly sipping on a bottle, whether that\u2019s of breastmilk, formula, or juice. This is because the constant exposure to sugar feeds harmful oral bacteria, leading to cavities when their teeth begin to grow in.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Reduced Risk for Gastroenteritis, Respiratory Infections, etc.:<\/strong> One excellent health benefit from breastfeeding is the reduced risk of common infectious morbidities in children, like gastroenteritis, respiratory infections, and middle ear infections.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">When Should Babies Be Weaned?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Many parents assume that the perfect time to wean their children is whenever their teeth begin to erupt through their gumline and they start teething. However, if you\u2019re not ready to wean them at this time, you don\u2019t have to! The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends to, whenever possible, breastfeed for the first 12 months of a baby\u2019s life, while the World Health Organization recommends 24 months. However, a great rule of thumb that you\u2019ll find many pediatric dentists and pediatricians follow is to wean whenever the breastfeeding parent thinks it\u2019s best for both them and their baby.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Tips for Taking Care of Yourself While Nursing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Breastfeeding offers your baby ample nutrition that benefits both their smile and physical health, but what are you doing to take care of yourself during this time? Whether you\u2019re a new mom or you\u2019ve done this before, take time to care for yourself, making sure to protect your own smile from common oral health problems like gum disease and cavities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These may sound like minor concerns, but declining oral health could lead to secondary issues like tooth loss, lower self-confidence, and more. Rest easy knowing that your baby\u2019s precious smile is in excellent hands with their pediatric dentist and spend that extra time you would be worrying about them taking care of yourself!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About the Practice<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At Kids Dentist, our team includes several highly trained and experienced pediatric dentists who are passionate about teaching parents and kids the ins-and-outs of caring for growing smiles. We offer a variety of kid-friendly services to help keep your favorite smile\u2019s health on the right track. Visit our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kidsdds.com\/contact.html\">website<\/a> or call 847-223-1400 to schedule an appointment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As a parent, especially if your child is an infant, you may feel a heavy load of pressure on your shoulders to do everything right. However, that\u2019s just not possible! You can make small, evidence-based decisions that offer unique benefits for your little one to help them thrive, like nursing. While every baby and parent [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-198","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Can Breastfeeding Benefits Baby Oral Health? | Pediatric Dentist Grayslake<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Even from the time your child is an infant, their habits can impact their oral and overall health. Learn how breastfeeding can benefit their future smile.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kidsdds.com\/blog\/2025\/02\/17\/breastfeeding-can-benefit-baby-health\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Can Breastfeeding Benefits Baby Oral Health? | Pediatric Dentist Grayslake\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Even from the time your child is an infant, their habits can impact their oral and overall health. Learn how breastfeeding can benefit their future smile.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.kidsdds.com\/blog\/2025\/02\/17\/breastfeeding-can-benefit-baby-health\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Kids Dentist Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-02-17T18:47:05+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.kidsdds.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/AdobeStock_430354398__1___1739817918_68211.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"533\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"danishismail\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"danishismail\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.kidsdds.com\/blog\/2025\/02\/17\/breastfeeding-can-benefit-baby-health\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.kidsdds.com\/blog\/2025\/02\/17\/breastfeeding-can-benefit-baby-health\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"danishismail\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.kidsdds.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/e09e41d666d4ac7c3319a112163c9eca\"},\"headline\":\"3 Ways Breastfeeding Can Benefit Your Baby\u2019s Oral &amp; Overall Health\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-02-17T18:47:05+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.kidsdds.com\/blog\/2025\/02\/17\/breastfeeding-can-benefit-baby-health\/\"},\"wordCount\":570,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.kidsdds.com\/blog\/2025\/02\/17\/breastfeeding-can-benefit-baby-health\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.kidsdds.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/AdobeStock_430354398__1___1739817918_68211-300x200.jpg\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.kidsdds.com\/blog\/2025\/02\/17\/breastfeeding-can-benefit-baby-health\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.kidsdds.com\/blog\/2025\/02\/17\/breastfeeding-can-benefit-baby-health\/\",\"name\":\"Can Breastfeeding Benefits Baby Oral Health? | Pediatric Dentist Grayslake\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.kidsdds.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.kidsdds.com\/blog\/2025\/02\/17\/breastfeeding-can-benefit-baby-health\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.kidsdds.com\/blog\/2025\/02\/17\/breastfeeding-can-benefit-baby-health\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.kidsdds.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/AdobeStock_430354398__1___1739817918_68211-300x200.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-02-17T18:47:05+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.kidsdds.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/e09e41d666d4ac7c3319a112163c9eca\"},\"description\":\"Even from the time your child is an infant, their habits can impact their oral and overall health. 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