Zachary was not interested in an examination and it wasn't until he was under anesthesia that the dentist realized that all but one of his teeth had decay. Zachary's four front teeth were pulled, two were capped, and the rest of his teeth, save his one tooth without decay, were filled. The dentist told Elizabeth that breastfeeding at night was the same as bottle-feeding at night, and that she needed to stop breastfeeding at night. Elizabeth didn't believe that breastfeeding caused Zachary's cavities.
Elizabeth chose to continue breastfeeding at night because her family was getting ready to move and it was a stressful time. She tried to clean Zachary's teeth by wiping them with a soft cloth after each nursing. However, cleaning his teeth often woke him up, so it didn't work very well at night. After a few months, Elizabeth gently weaned Zachary at night.