Anyway, it was puzzling to me as I wondered why our 3rd child had this problem.  I did some reading to have information so I can decide what to do.  If you are interested, here are some very useful links on articles & many parents' experiences:

Breastfeeding & Dental Health
Is Breastfeeding linked to Tooth Decay?

Eventually, we did bring Timmy to the dentist.  Firstly because I wanted to hear professional opinion, secondly because I was afraid of further tooth decay, and thirdly because the chipped off part of the tooth was sharp and scrapped against me when he nursed!

This treatment cost us all of S$25 and only 10minutes of work. We had it done at a nearby dentist.  I decided not to use any of the nearby clinics  as they all looked a little old & dinghy.  And we tried not to go to a pediatric dentist because of the cost (remember, we have 3 children!).

The dentist said it was definitely decay.  Said that it was best to have it filled up as Yes, it could spread, and as I suspected, there is some risk to the front tooth next to it.  And it was better to fill up for those reasons as Timmy being only 2 years' old would need to have at least another 4 years' use of the tooth!

He said it was nothing to do with poor enamel, nor genetics. Apparently tooth enamel can be affected by medication during pregnancy - but I was on little if any medication with Timmy's pregnancy.  The dentist said these  conditions were very common these days - waaah... is it our water then?  This dentist just seemed happy to get the job done.  He did not blame the decay on anything.  Did not say anything about bottle syndrome nor anything about breastfeeding even though I mentioned it (hey, I could not resist testing the ground!).

Timmy was a real good boy.  I sat on the dentist chair with Timmy reclined in my arms and used my other hand to keep Timmy's
mouth open.  It was very similar to how I would put my finger in to take my nipple out after nursing.   I reminded him not to bite Mommy's hand, so he was very gracious about it.

The dentist scrapped the decayed tooth, then filled it up with white filling.  I had brought Timmy there earlier in the day to make the
appointment, so Timmy had seen that there was a playground there.  On the way there, I also kept telling him how he had to be a big boy and sit on the dentist chair and let the dentist uncle clean his teeth and patch it up for him - and that if he was a good boy, Mommy & Daddy would buy a car for him.  After it was over,  Timmy went out of the room and said "Let's go and buy car!!!".  whoa!

Well, I must say that I was really glad at how it turned out.  Timmy was not scared to go into the dental clinic, nor has he been scared off by the visit & the treatment, apparently.  I asked him tonight if he liked going to the dentist and he said "yes"!  And the dentist had not even given him toys or treats or whatever.

Sad to say ... the filling came out again later. Opinions differed.  One dentist that I consulted said it was no point filling as it would most likely come out again.  Reason being that the child would not be able to open his mouth and be still long enough to have the teeth surface dried well so that the filling would be able to adhere properly.  If the filling is mixed with saliva, most likely, it would not last.  The problem though, was that with the filling out, the edges of the decayed tooth was very sharp, and with that "sharp tooth", it was like breastfeeding a T-Rex!  Hence, I started my search for a dentist that would appreciate my problem and be able to help us work through it.   Thankfully, I remembered that one of our breastfeeding mothers' husband was a dentist.  I had met him before a few times.

Brought Timmy to see Dr Ben Lim.  My intuition was right.  He explained the procedures and what to expect.  He also knew that our goal was to get a filling in and have it stay.  He used a fast drying filling and a light-ray to do the filling.  No drilling as Timmy was afraid of it.  Dr Lim did manage to polish off the sharp edge of Timmy's tooth though, so that helped even more for a "smooth" breastfeeding time!  Timmy was not as cooperative this time around though.  Had Dr Lim running off to find toys to entertain Timmy. Buses & dinosaurs... well, we got the job done and the filling has remained for a good number of months already.  whew!

If you need consultation, do check them out.  Dr Lim's quite good with children, although he's not a pedodontist.  Timmy was not too amused, I must say, but 5yo Daniel's attention was certainly captured by the dentist's "elevator-style" chair!

Dr. Ben Lim
Hosanna! Dental Clinic
Blk 123 #01-515
Toa Payoh Lor 1
Singapore 310123
Tel: 6258 8456
http://web.singnet.com.sg/~grace21/index.html