A 3-year-old sleeps with a milk bottle and has front-tooth decay. What is the counselling? Nursing bottle caries - milk's lactose pools around teeth all night, feeding bacteria for hours. Advice: no bottle in bed (water only if needed), wean from bottle by 12-14 months, wipe infant gums, first dental visit by first birthday. Students learn prevention counselling as treatment: the bottle habit, not the bacteria alone, is the disease's engine.