Ensuring your child has healthy and aligned adult teeth is important to us at Prairie Pines Dental, your preferred dental clinic in Prince Albert. When a child loses their baby teeth, there is usually a pattern in which they fall out – the age at which a child loses their baby teeth isn’t so critical but rather the sequence.
The pattern of loss is: the two bottom middle teeth, the two top middle (front) teeth, lower than upper lateral incisors (the teeth next to the center ones), lower canines, then the upper and lower primary molars, with upper canines generally last.
A wobbly tooth can take a few months to fall out and in general, there is no reason to rush this process – a baby tooth will fall out when it’s ready and the underlying adult tooth has pushed up far enough.
Concerns with The Premature Loss of Baby Teeth:
- If a baby tooth is lost and is not replaced by a permanent one within three months this can cause problems; this often happens due to trauma such as a toddler falling and losing a tooth or tooth decay.
- Baby teeth hold the space for future adult teeth, if lost too early, space can be lost in the mouth and it can cause crowding of the underlying adult teeth.
- Early tooth loss can also impact jaw and bone development causing bite or alignment issues.
In these instances, a spacer or space maintainer can be placed in the gap to hold the space open for future adult teeth. This is why it’s critical to see an orthodontist in Prince Albert, in the event of premature baby tooth loss.
Concerns with Delayed Loss of Baby Teeth:
If baby teeth fall out too late it can cause the underlying adult teeth to become crooked.
The late loss of baby teeth can be due to a missing underlying adult tooth or on the flip side too many adult teeth meaning the normal loss of baby teeth is inhibited. An orthodontic review can check for either scenario. If you are worried that your child is missing an adult tooth, contact us for a check-up. We provide orthodontic treatment in Prince Albert to children and will provide you with a thorough assessment of your child’s teeth.
If an adult tooth erupts behind a baby tooth that has yet to fall out, creating a second line, can cause problems with the alignment of adult teeth. In this instance, it may be recommended to remove the baby tooth.
When to Seek a Professional Opinion:
If your child hasn’t lost any teeth by the age of 8 a dental check would be recommended.
Seeking your dentist’s opinion on orthodontic treatment in Prince Albert is the only way to know if your child may need treatment.
Crowding can generally only be rectified with orthodontic treatment such as braces and aligners. An X-ray and review of a child’s mouth will check for any underlying issues with adult teeth (overcrowding or missing teeth). A plan for treatment can then be created.
At Prairie Pines Dental clinic, your local dental clinic in Prince Albert, we’ve been providing dental treatment to children for many years and look forward to helping you with your family’s dental needs.
If you have any concerns about your child’s teeth, please schedule an appointment with our friendly and qualified team. It is important to take your child to the dentist every 6 months so your dentist can monitor and assess the development of your child’s teeth. Don’t hesitate to get in touch!