To make matters worse, children at this age have a very difficult time facing dental treatment. It is necessary for many of these children to be admitted to a hospital and have their work done under general anesthesia in an operating room. This, of course, can be very costly, hospital charges often being greater than the dental charges. Because of their age, even with sedation, these children are not very cooperative. It is not uncommon for the child to move around and cry, even with sedative drugs, making for a very difficult appointment for the child, for the parent, and for the dentist.
Parents do many things to assure their children are healthy.
Inoculation against childhood diseases, using car seats and seat belts, ensuring their kids get proper exercise, eat right and brush their teeth after meals - these are all important preventive measures practiced by most parents to assure the good health and welfare of their children. With health care reform in the works, all children will soon have access to medical care. Unfortunately, dental care will not be included in this reform. Therefore, it is our responsibility to do those things that will assure our continued good dental health and that of our children. The tragedy is that all the expense and trauma of baby bottle decay can be avoided by simply throwing away all bottles on a child's first birthday.