Tooronga Family Dentistry in Glen Iris

Archives for October 2024

My child’s tooth is not erupting, what should I do?

When teeth fail to erupt it is important to know if these are the primary teeth more commonly known as “baby teeth” or the permanent teeth called sometimes “adult teeth”. A simple way to tell if those are primary teeth or permanent teeth is the age of your child.

Baby teeth start erupting at around the age of 4 to 6 months and all the 20 primary teeth should be present in the toddler’s mouth when he turns three years old. The first baby teeth that usually erupt are the lower incisors followed by the upper incisors. The most evident sign that baby teeth are missing is when they fail to erupt or there are large spaces between those that had erupted. Since the “baby teeth” start developing when your child is in the womb, missing these teeth is rare.

The main reasons that baby teeth don’t develop and erupt are due to difficulties during the pregnancy, premature delivery or genetic factors. If the “baby teeth” are missing there is a need to find the reason for it. Dr. Kaufman can check and find out what the condition of the teeth is.

Permanent teeth start replacing the primary teeth or “baby teeth around the age of six years old. The first teeth to be replaced are the lower incisors, the same teeth which were first to erupt.

If permanent teeth fail to erupt usually it is because there are obstructions in their eruption path or they are missing. The obstructions can be a retained primary tooth or an “extra” tooth which is called an odontoma. If an obstruction is the reason for the tooth not erupting, many times removing the obstruction will allow for the tooth to naturally erupt. But if the are missing it is important to check what are the reasons and if there are more teeth missing. Dr. Kaufman can check if the teeth are present or not and what are the possible solutions to help them erupt or replace them.

If you have any concerns or if there are gaps in your child’s smile please make an appointment to see Dr. Kaufman to find what options your child has.

My child has “shark teeth”, what should I do?

We as parents want set our children for life with beautiful straight pearly white teeth. But sometimes when the permanent teeth start erupting the “baby teeth” linger on. This is how two rows of teeth develop, which are called “shark teeth”.

When permanent teeth naturally replace baby teeth, the root of the baby tooth is dissolved by the erupting permanent tooth. This way the baby tooth becomes loose and falls off. But if for some reason this process does not happen, the remanent tooth cannot erupt in its correct position and it has to shift place to come out. This can happen with the front teeth or the back teeth and it needs immediate attention.

If the permanent tooth grows into an incorrect position, in many cases it can get trapped between other permanent teeth, which will make the condition more permanent. For this reason, the solution many times, is to remove the delayed baby tooth, to allow the permanent tooth to correct its position.

If your child has a tooth that is erupting behind the baby ones, it is important to come and see Dr. Kaufman to check what the solution is. He will be happy to examine and explain what is the condition of your child’s teeth. Waiting for the teeth to sort themselves out will only lead to a more difficult condition.