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Do You Have a "Sweet Tooth?" Find Out Why!
Plagued with a sweet tooth? If you are, it's likely that this habit was formed long before you could walk into the kitchen to grab a soda or a candy bar.

The Academy of General Dentistry reports that a strong correlation has been established between sweetened drinks consumed during infancy and high sugar consumption in later years. Why? Because at the age a baby's first tooth erupts, the types of foods that are introduced at this time can influence eating habits for a lifetime. In other words, if a baby's first "real" foods are pieces of sweetened cereal, raisins, sweet fruit juice, or, worse yet, fruit "drinks" that are as little as 7 percent juice, a high-sugar habit may follow him into adulthood.

"Sugar is known to cause cavities throughout a lifetime, and the earlier an infant gets used to sugar, the easier it is to get hooked on high-sugar snacks as an adult," says Heidi Hausauer, DDS, FAGD, a spokesperson for the AGD. "The eating habits of adults are formed at weaning, so it's important for the baby to develop good eating habits that will affect dental health."

Bottle syndrome, or baby bottle tooth decay, is an all-too-frequent consequence when teeth are continually exposed to sugary fluids. Sugar feeds bacteria in the mouth, and in response, an acid is produced that decays the teeth. Even beverages labeled "100% juice" can have this effect, as they contain high levels of fructose, the form of sugar naturally found in fruit. Primary teeth ("baby teeth") are much more susceptible to these acid attacks, as their protective outer enamel layer is thinner and more easily penetrated by the acid. The following advice can help parents prevent their children from developing bottle syndrome.

Limit beverages other than water to mealtimes only.

Keep juice consumption down to 10 percent of your child's total diet (as recommended by the AGD).

Never put your child to bed with a bottle containing anything but water.

Don't flavor your child's pacifier by dipping it in honey or any other sweet substance.

Brush your child's teeth after giving him any liquid medicine, because many contain large amounts of sugar.

So in a nutshell, to maximize your child's nutrition and dental health, and to encourage lifelong healthy eating habits, it's important that you minimize his exposure to sweets of all kinds while he's an infant.

Sources
The Academy of General Dentistry
The American Dental Association