We had a mother in with her 3 children today, and she was concerned that her (almost) 6-year old son doesn’t have any wiggly baby teeth. We took a couple x-rays and they didn’t look quite right (almost like the adult teeth were overlapping under the gums), so we took a panoramic x-ray to get a bigger picture of the young man’s overall development. What we found was that his adult teeth, as they’re forming under the gums, are EXTREMELY crowded already, and there’s no way there will be enough space for them to come in.
Perfectly Straight Baby Teeth with No Spaces is Not Good
Indeed, it’s very simple – baby teeth are a LOT smaller than adult teeth, so if there are no spaces between the baby teeth, where will the adult teeth fit? As much as we all love to see our kids with perfectly straight teeth, it’s really not the best. Sure, as they grow, the jaws will also grow, but they don’t grow fast enough, or just big enough, to accommodate those grown-up teeth.
Should Your Child See an Orthodontist Early?
While we usually take a “wait-and-see” approach for kids, this was a case that I chose to refer to one of our orthodontic offices, Webb Orthodontics. I’ll try to remember and update this page with their recommendations.
Our next Kids Tooth Tip will be coming soon, and it will be either about Flossing or Your Child’s First Dental Visit…..whichever I happen to finish first. 😛
If you’d like to schedule a check-up and cleaning for your child, we see kids as young as 1 year old, so please call us 704-364-7069 or Request an Appointment Online.
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