"They call it bottle-mouth for a lack of knowing what else to call it," she says of her daughter's affliction. "I brushed her teeth twice a day and never gave her a bottle."

But that wasn't the problem. By the time she was four, bottle-mouth had left Shelby with a mouthful of capped baby teeth, though her permanent teeth will likely come in straight. The only other option to caps was to have all Shelby's teeth pulled.

The same hard choices are faced by other parents whose children have bottle-mouth syndrome.

And it is a routine affliction for small children in Yellowknife, according to dentist Dr. Hassan Adam.

"It's not just a brushing problem with bottle-mouth," Adam says. "Little babies are fed with bottles filled with coke or covered with sugar."

These babies learn to hold the liquid in their mouths for three to four minutes before swallowing, allowing bacteria on the mouth to turn the sugary liquid into an acid that eats into the enamel on the front teeth.

The same effect could be caused if the bottle is filled with milk or juice.

"The bottle creates a pooling effect and decay starts under the gum line," Adam says. "And once decay gets in, it's difficult to slow down."

Diane Brouwer, a program co-ordinator for the territorial Health Department, says tippy cups are a helpful tool to prevent bottle mouth.

The two-handled cups are weighted at the bottom to prop them up, and their holed spout produces a continuous flow to force the baby to swallow without pooling the liquid.

Another cavity-fighting solution is fluoride paint, which is easy for parents to apply and is available at city dental clinics.

"Some people say, 'It's just baby teeth, who cares?' But it affects permanent teeth so they erupt in the wrong position," she says.

And for general baby dental hygiene, Adam advises brushing with a soft-bristled brush and not just a cloth.

Even if no toothpaste is used, the simple act of brushing disrupts bacteria colonies and can prevent the onset of plaque.

If toothpaste is used, a dab the size of a pea is sufficient because babies may eat the fluoride-filled tasty paste.

And too much fluoride, which is found in water and many common drinks such as grape juice, can lead to permanent white or brown flecks on the teeth. "Fluorosis," as the condition is known, is harmless, but cosmetically unappealing.