Smooth Transition to a Sippy Cup
Moving from a bottle to a cup is a huge transition for your baby’s oral health. A baby’s jawbone, palate, teeth, and oral cavity all change and shift as they grow and develop. A sippy cup nozzle can drastically alter important oral structures and impact speech, airway, and sleep quality later in life. But rest assured, there are ways to ensure you are making the right choice.
Here are a few easy tips to ensure proper selection and usage of sippy cups that will make for better oral development and overall health.
Selecting The Right Sippy Cup To Protect Your Child’s Dental Health
Once your child is ready for a cup, choosing the right container makes a world of difference to their oral development. Ideally, the first sippy cup will include the following:
- Two handles: to accustom your child to holding the cup upright from both sides.
- Weighted bottom: to decrease the chances of spills.
- Spout: This is the open lip of the cup. Many sippy cups contain a straw or valve so that the only way to pull liquid out is by sucking, but we recommend steering clear of those models for better oral development.
What Can My Toddler Drink From A Sippy Cup?
Babies and toddlers should only drink water or milk from their sippy cups. Both are great for hydration and kind to teeth. For better oral health, water with fluoride is ideal, as it helps strengthen the enamel (outer layer) of the teeth.
While juice is a favorite among children, it should be limited to a treat once in a while. Drinking juice from a sippy cup throughout the day is too much sugar for young teeth and increases the odds of developing cavities.
Schedule an Appointment with Your Local Chapel Hill Pediatric Dentist Today
If you have any other questions about your child’s oral health, give us a call. At Clifton & Mauney Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry, we are committed to delivering exceptional smiles as well as resources to help you achieve our high standard of excellence in pediatric dentistry. Proper dental hygiene starts young, and our team is here to guide you along the way. With a passionate group of specialists, we promise to treat your child with the attention and care they deserve. If you have more questions about our dental or orthodontic treatments, please contact us or make an appointment today. We look forward to your visit!
