Adult teeth erupting behind baby teeth or “Shark Teeth”

A baby tooth falls out when the new adult tooth is ready to come in, right? Well, not always, leaving the way blocked for the permanent tooth which tries to erupt. This leads the adult tooth to erupt next to the baby tooth and an unhealthy outcome, since food usually is trapped between the teeth making cleaning difficult  leading frequently to gum inflammation and later decay. Shark teeth can happen during the development of adult teeth from the age 6 to around the age of 11, when the upper  pre-molars appear. The appearance of and adult tooth next to the baby teeth can hint that the child doesn’t have enough room for the permanent teeth, but even when there is lots of room, the new tooth may not always be able to dissolve the baby tooth root fast enough. If a permanent tooth hasn’t come in all the way and the baby tooth is getting progressively looser, there is a possibility that the situation will resolve on its own. But if after 2 weeks the new tooth continues to grow in and the baby tooth doesn’t loosen, you should come and see us.