Smile Correction Devices: The Good, The Bad And The Amazing

When you put your child to bed with a bottle of sweetened liquid, such as fruit juice or milk, this sugary liquid clings to their teeth as they sleep, and then causes decay to their baby teeth. This can cause cavities to develop in their young teeth and can affect their smile. Below is some information about this problem so you can get your child the proper treatment.

Mild Cases and Dental Procedures

If your child's teeth have only a small amount of tooth decay, or there is only tooth decay on one tooth, this is considered a mild case of baby bottle mouth. In a case like this, your child's dentist may simply treat the cavities. The dentist will use a tool to remove the tooth decay, and then put a filling in each tooth. The dentist can then grind their teeth down and put a cap on them. This allows your child to chew, smile, and talk normally until the damaged teeth fall out and are replaced with healthy adult teeth. If the dentist caps your child's teeth, they will have to watch what they eat, as if they bite or chew anything that is hard or sticky, it can cause the caps to chip.

Severe Cases and How a Cosmetic Dentist Can Help

If your child's teeth come in with severe decay on them, there may not be too much of their teeth left. This means the dentist will not be able to cap them. In a case like this, the dentist may suggest you take your child to a cosmetic dentist. They can surgically remove your baby's decayed teeth. When their baby teeth are removed, it is important that there is enough space for their adult teeth to come in. If not, their teeth will grow in crowded and crooked. To maintain the space, the cosmetic surgeon will use orthodontic wires to hold their remaining teeth in alignment until their adult teeth come in. If the cosmetic dentist has to pull the teeth out, they may suggest a partial denture to maintain the proper spacing of their remaining teeth.

So Severe That Baby Bottle Mouth Affects Adult Teeth

Right under the roots of your child's baby tooth are their adult tooth buds. If the baby bottle mouth is severe, the decay could travel to these tooth buds. If this happens, when their adult teeth come in they may be damaged by this decay. If so, the cosmetic surgeon will have to treat their adult teeth in the same way they treated their baby teeth.

Make sure you or your child brush their teeth twice per day to help keep tooth decay away. As soon as their first tooth erupts and you see any signs of decay, take them to their dentist to start treatment to try to prevent the problem from becoming much worse.