What has long been suspected has been confirmed: Sugary drinks given to infants and toddlers adversely affect their developing teeth. A recent study, conducted by the University of Rochester Medical Center, found honey, cola and sugar water – drinks often given to babies in the bottle – caused a very high incidence of tooth decay in developing teeth.

Amanda Stevens, a mother of three from Eau Claire, Wis., has always been cautious of what she gives her children to drink. "As a child, I grew up drinking pitchers and pitchers of Kool-Aid and then soda," says Stevens. "I have had many, many problems with my teeth, even having to have a bridge in my late teens. If I can prevent this in my children, I am going to."

Stevens does this by restricting what she gives her children to drink and watching their diets. "I think that it is especially important to limit the amount of sugar fluids that infants receive because at that age it is the cornerstone of their development," she says. "By allowing my children to have an intake of sugary fluids, it introduces those things into their eating habits – they develop a taste for them. I feel that as a parent, it is my job to be proactive and prevent any unnecessary pain for them."

Dr. Robert Pastore, a clinical nutritionist from New York, N.Y., says what you give your infants will affect them for years to come. "Sugar, cola and honey break down the enamel on many levels," says Dr. Pastore. "They are very acidic, which feeds bacteria in the mouth that breaks down the enamel. There are studies which have shown that high sugar intake results in the permanent teeth being very weak. It doesn't just affect the baby teeth but the adult teeth as well."

Dr. Janet Bozzone, dental director of Open Door Family Medical Centers, a federally recognized group of community health centers in Westchester County, N.Y., says it's important to remember it isn't actually the sugar causing the problem. "By itself, sugar has no effect on teeth," she says. "It is only when the sugar is used by some of the bacteria which live in the mouth that problems begin. Cavity-causing germs use the sugar as food and secrete acids that destroy the hard enamel of the tooth first. Next the acid works on the softer dentin and keeps on going until the nerve is affected. At this point tooth decay can become very painful and lead to serious infections."

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