One thing many kids look forward to is that first visit from the tooth fairy. As their friends in school start losing their baby teeth, it is a sign of growing up. Kids often look forward to the experience of having their adult teeth come-in especially if they have older siblings or they have friends at school that are starting to lose their teeth. But what happens if a child’s baby teeth aren’t falling out, or if the permanent teeth are growing in behind the baby teeth? Well, in this article we will discuss a few common things to be on the look out for when it comes to dental development for kids. That being said, the best thing to do is see a dentist. If your family is in the Chicago area, give us a call and we will see if we can schedule you at one of our 5 dental offices in the Chicago area!
You might vaguely remember the experience of losing your own baby teeth as a kid, or you might be looking at projected teeth eruption charts online or in a parenting book, but generally speaking, around ages 6-8, most kids start to see a few teeth fall out. Those front teeth (also called central and lateral incisors) tend to get loose and fall out around ages to 6 to 8 years old to make room for the adult replacement teeth. But it is important to understand that every kid is different. The reason those ranges are 2+ years is because it can vary greatly. Here are a few reasons teeth might not be falling out yet:
If your child hasn’t lost any teeth and you are concerned about it, your best choice is to see a dentist. If you are going to the dentist twice a year, your child is likely getting yearly x-rays. Your dentist will note if there are any obvious problems like missing teeth or crowding after an x-ray. But if your child hasn’t lost their teeth and they are getting older, a dentist can take a look and let you know what they recommend. In some cases, the best solution for issues with teeth not falling out is tooth extraction. However, this needs to be recommended by a dentist. You should never force a tooth out. Even if a tooth is loose, you should not use any at-home solutions to remove a tooth, as a side from pain it can cause dental problems.
Two rows of teeth, also sometimes called “shark teeth” is a common dental issue where an adult tooth cannot push out a baby tooth so it comes in behind the baby tooth. This can sometimes happen with the incisors in the front of the mouth because the adult incisor is bigger than two of the baby incisors. In situations where one of the baby incisors hasn’t fallen out or isn’t loose, it can force the adult incisor to come behind it. If the baby teeth in front are loose, you can recommend to your child that they try to wiggle their baby teeth to coax the teeth to fall out. If the baby tooth isn’t loose, we recommend asking your child’s dentist about it at their next appointment.
If you need to see a family dentist in the Chicago area, give us a call or click below to schedule an appointment. It is always recommended that you see a dentist about any questions you have regarding your child’s oral health.
