Can someone please reassure me or give me links that breastfeeding (and night nursing) is ok for teeth? I remember reading articles where there was a study done on old skulls/teeth that showed no dental caries in young children (obviously they only breastfed back then...). And also that breastmilk actually has an enzyme that protects teeth from dental caries.

I ask this reassurance because dd just went to the dentist last week - she's 2.5 yrs. old and the dentist could visually see 7 cavities. Most were on her molars. It's going to cost $1400 in dental work and perhaps (if health insurance doesn't cover it) $2200-$2500 in hospital fees. We don't have dental insurance - dd's father promised he would pay for all her dental work if it ever came to that. When we talked on the phone today, he said no way did he have that kind of money. Sort of implied that her bad teeth was my fault. I think it's maybe genetics...maybe not brushing enough.

I never let Emma have any refined sugar until she was about 2...she never drank juice...only eats refined sugar at other people's parties - so it's rare. I know that probably anything eaten will affect teeth if it's not brushed off...but I feel so cheated! I tried so hard to make sure she didn't go through the same torture I did as a kid (my first dental visit at age 5, I had like 15 cavities). All of my molars are completely filled :0(

Anyways...sorry such a novel...

Also...anybody have any idea what would happen if I didn't get her teeth fixed now? Since they will fall out and all. DD's father seems to think it's not a big deal to fix her teeth right now.

Thanks!
Candy

This article may not answer *all* your questions, but I found it very interesting. When my youngest's teeth started coming in, 4 of them were deformed and the pediatric dentist told me I needed to night-wean. DS was only 7 months old. I continued to night nurse, and DS's teeth actually look better now (nearly 3 years later) than they did then.

Anyway, here's the article:
http://www.lalecheleague.org/NB/NBSepOct02p164.html

http://www.mothering.com/10-0-0/html/10-7-0/cavities.shtml