What is “bottle caries”? Parents often bring their young children to the clinic and find that their newly erupted milk teeth are decayed, and more than one tooth and more than one tooth surface occur at the same time. In some cases, the incisors of the children have already been damaged to a large extent, and even have become stumps and painful teeth or swelling of the roots. The occurrence of these children’s caries is generally related to the use of bottle feeding, and the doctor diagnosed it as “bottle caries” after examination. What are the characteristics of bottle caries? The formation of bottle caries is due to the long time of bottle feeding, and the bottle is mostly filled with milk, sugar, juice and other acid-producing and fermentable drinks. The milk teeth are newly erupted and the tooth surface structure is not mature, so they are more likely to be demineralized by the action of acid. At the same time, the sucking movement during breastfeeding is not as active as that of breastfeeders, and some of them are put in the mouth for a long time, so the saliva secretion is reduced and the self-cleaning effect of the mouth is poor, which are the factors related to the occurrence of bottle caries. Because the pacifier is attached to the maxillary milk front teeth during feeding, bottle caries mainly occurs on the labial surface of maxillary milk incisors, and is more likely to develop into extensive caries. However, bottle caries is rarely seen in the mandibular milk anterior teeth, which may be related to the movement of the jaw and lower lip during sucking, the location of the tooth surface attached to the pacifier near the opening of the sublingual gland and submaxillary gland duct, etc. How to treat bottle caries? Bottle caries is caused by multiple teeth and extensive caries, so the first treatment is drug treatment. The treatment of caries by applying medicine is mainly applicable to the shallow caries with extensive caries surface or exfoliated ring caries, and it is not easy to prepare the cavity shape of the milk teeth, this kind of caries is commonly seen on the adjacent surface and lip surface of the milk anterior teeth, sometimes also seen on the coincidental surface and buccal surface of the milk molars. If there is condition, we should try to make restorative treatment, because medication can not restore the shape of the tooth, but only play the role of inhibiting the progress of caries. After the decay of milk teeth, the chewing function can be reduced. If the crowns of multiple teeth are damaged seriously, the length of the crowns of the milk teeth will be shortened and the occlusal height will be reduced, which will adversely affect the normal growth and development of the jaw surface and the formation of the permanent teeth. Therefore, it is important to remove the diseased tissues, restore the shape of the teeth and improve the chewing function of the restorative treatment. How to prevent bottle caries? 1.Good feeding habit should reduce the use of bottle feeding after the age of 18, and should clean the mouth timely after feeding, and it is better to brush the teeth at night and not to feed again. 2.Correctly master the method of brushing teeth Once the milk teeth erupt about 6 months after birth, parents should put the gauze on the index finger and scrub the tooth surface with water after each nursing or feeding. As the milk teeth erupt, the parents should first brush the teeth for the child and cultivate the child’s interest in brushing. As the child grows up, he/she will gradually master the correct brushing method with the help and supervision of parents. 3. Diet management Children should not consume too much sucrose. The number and amount of snacks and snack foods in a day should be controlled to only 10-15% of the daily energy requirement. Strictly control the intake of sugary drinks, especially carbonated drinks. 4.Regular oral examination During childhood, it is recommended to go to the hospital for oral examination every 3 months to deal with the oral problems found in time. 5.Rational use of fluoride Fluoride coated on the tooth surface has long been recognized for its preventive and inhibitory effect on caries because it can enhance the anti-acid of teeth and promote the remineralization of caries, and also inhibit the effect of bacteria and enzymes and thus inhibit the acid production in the oral cavity. It is recommended to use fluoride topically in the mouth under the guidance of doctors. Childhood caries is related to diet, hygiene and other living habits, and is closely related to parents’ knowledge of oral health care and the implementation of caries prevention measures for children. Parents should understand the characteristics and importance of teeth in childhood; understand the basic knowledge about caries; master the knowledge of oral health care and the method of cleaning mouth; understand the necessity of implementing caries prevention and treatment measures; cooperate with medical personnel for regular examination and timely prevention and treatment.