Dental Assistant Nerds Podcast

07/07/2025

07/02/2025

This X-ray reveals an extreme case of hyperdontia, a rare dental condition where a person grows more than the usual 32 teeth. In this instance, the patient had a staggering 81 teeth, with supernumerary teeth densely packed throughout the jaw.

Hyperdontia can be linked to genetic conditions like cleidocranial dysplasia or complex odontomas, and often causes serious issues such as jaw pain, crowding, and speech or eating difficulties. Treatment usually involves surgical extraction of the extra teeth, followed by long-term dental care to manage alignment and function.

06/30/2025

Many parents give their babies a bottle of milk at bedtime to help them fall asleep. While this may seem harmless, it can quietly harm your child’s teeth. When a baby falls asleep with milk in their mouth, the natural sugars in milk stay on the teeth for long periods. During sleep, saliva flow reduces, making it harder for the mouth to wash away these sugars.

This creates a perfect environment for bacteria to grow. The bacteria feed on the sugars and produce acid that attacks the tooth enamel. Over time, this leads to early tooth decay — especially in the upper front teeth — even if your child is very young or still has only baby teeth.

This kind of decay is known as nursing bottle caries. It can cause pain, infection, and even problems with speech or eating later on. That’s why it's important to avoid putting your child to bed with a bottle, and to clean their teeth or gums before sleep, even if they only have a few teeth. Early prevention protects their smile for life.