Ask the Dentist – Shark Teeth

Thank you SO much for making our new feature  here at Family Dental Care Park Ridge   Ask the Dentist such a huge success.  I can’t believe how many questions were sent our way.  Please keep the questions coming because I am having great fun working on the answers.

This question came to us as a result of last weeks Ask the Dentist question, so it seemed logical to tackle this one from Deana of Libertyville.  Deana asks,

“Is it normal for the permanent teeth to start coming in before the baby tooth has fallen out?”  

The short answer is most often, yes.  The more detailed answer is that many times the permanent tooth will start showing through the gum before the baby tooth has fallen out.  I jokingly refer to this situation as “shark teeth” when a child has what looks like two rows of teeth at the same time.  Many parents get quite concerned about this phenomenon.  Typically, the situation takes care of itself so that, within a reasonably short amount of time, the baby tooth will loosen and fall out on it’s own.The permanent tooth will then, most often, move forward into it’s “correct” position.  If the child is being seen on a six month recall schedule with the dentist and the child presents with both the primary tooth and the permanent tooth trying to occupy the same space, the dentist may suggest waiting for the next six month appointment to see how things have progressed. If the child still has both primary and permanent tooth, the dentist then may suggest extracting (pulling out) the primary (baby) tooth to allow for the permanent tooth to move into position. One of the things that dentists watch for as children start losing their primary (baby) teeth is the maintenance of space.  In other words, the dentist wants to, as much as possible, assure that the space necessary for the permanent teeth to move into is available.  One of the ways the dentist can do this is by monitoring the tooth loss and tooth eruption pattern of the child at the six month visits. I always encourage parents to call if they aren’t sure about something when it comes to their child’s oral health…it is better to be safe by asking than sorry that you didn’t ask.

This is just another example of why it is so helpful to have an already established relationship with your dentist when you are raising your children.  When you have a trusting relationship with your dentist, you will know that you and your family are in good hands.

Always feel free to give us a call if you have a question about yours or your family’s oral health.  And keep those questions coming into Ask the Dentist by emailing us here or adding a question in the comments below!

And remember, as always….we LOVE making you smile!