Milk and Teeth
All types of milk have a naturally existing sugar called lactose in it. It gives milk a slightly sweet taste. It is also the cause of cavities in infants and toddlers if they are frequently nursing or using bottles, especially at night.
Soy and Nut-Milk
Unsweetened almond and soy milk have very little or no sugar in it. However, most nut-milks in grocery stores have sugar added for taste. Check the label. Usually it is evaporated cane sugar, which is a fancy word for less refined white sugar.
What Should I do?
Milk has good minerals and vitamins in it and children should drink milk as part of a healthy diet. The key is to restrict milk to meal times only. Drink milk at breakfast, lunch or dinner. For very young kids, avoid having multiple bottles of milk a day or nursing at night. Frequent contact between milk and teeth causes cavities on front teeth. Using a cup is better than a bottle for drinking milk.
Dr. Ella Choi is a certified specialist in pediatric dentistry serving South Surrey, White Rock and Langley in Beautiful British Columbia.