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Adult Teeth Behind Baby Teeth

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I’m 16 years old and have three baby teeth still. The adult teeth are there, but grew in sort of behind the baby teeth. Is there any way for me to fix this?

Cassie

Dear Cassie,

Invisalign aligners

I am sorry you are even having to deal with this. I don’t understand why your pediatric dentist didn’t deal with this years ago. Here is what should have been done for the benefit of any parents out there reading. If your child has baby teeth that are not coming loose with adult teeth ready to erupt, the thing to do is have the baby teeth removed. This opens up the space so your child’s teeth can properly come in at their correct positions.

For you, Cassie, you’ll have to take a two-step process. First, the baby teeth will need to be extracted. That won’t be difficult because they should hardly have any roots left. However, if you’re worried, I would see a family dentist who offers dental sedation. This can give you an anxiety-free appointment.

After the teeth are erupted, I would first see an Invisalign Dentist to see if your case will qualify for that treatment. Invisalign allows patients to straighten their teeth without anyone even knowing because they use clear aligners.

If Invisalign is not an option for you, then you will have to go the traditional braces route. Either way, you will have a nice, straight smile in the end.

What if there are not adult teeth?

There are cases where a patient has congenitally missing adult teeth. That means while most of his or her adult teeth come in, there are some that just aren’t there. In that case, you would still do something like Invisalign or braces to open up the spot for a full-sized tooth. Then, when you are older and your jaw is fully developed you can replace the missing teeth with dental implants. In the meantime, after the orthodontics, you can use a dental flipper to keep the space open.

I hope this helps and, again, I’m sorry your childhood dentist did not help you prevent the situation to begin with.
This blog is brought to you by West Seneca Dentist Dr. Carl Embury.

Dental Flipper for Toddler

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I need some advice. We have always gone to the same pediatric dentist for all of our children. After our fifth child was born, he retired and sold his practice. I’m having a bit of trouble liking this new guy, but in the meantime, my youngest boy is in need of care. He had a playground accident and lost a front tooth. Our old dentist always told us the importance of keeping their teeth and when it is impossible to do so before their adult teeth are ready to come in to use some type of space maintainer so their other teeth do not shift into the open space and mess up their bite. In reality, we’ve only had to do this once when one of our children kept sneaking in sweets to bed at night. He ended up having a back tooth that couldn’t be saved. Our dentist put a space maintainer there. Because it is a front tooth, I wanted to place something there that would look like a tooth and suggested a dental flipper to our new dentist. He scoffed at me. I mean literally scoffed at me and said that was the most ridiculous thing he’d ever heard. I didn’t know how to respond, so we just left. Now my son has a missing front tooth several years before his adult tooth is likely to come in. I looked online to try to order one online, but it appears all of those are designed for adults. What do I do? I do not want his teeth to shift.

Melody

Dear Melody,

adorable smiling boy holding toothbrush

I am very glad you wrote. I can tell right away that you are a caring mother who is diligent about her children’s oral health. That is wonderful! Right off the bat I can tell this new dentist is not a good fit for you. Because of that, I am going to suggest you get a new pediatric dentist. Look for one who is willing to answer all your questions and take them seriously. Your children are ultimately your responsibility and it is important you understand all the recommendations for their care.

I understand your concern about your son’s teeth shifting. The good news is that this is really only an issue when it comes to back teeth, which is likely why your previous dentist brought it up with your child stealing sweeties. Those back molars have to stay in place until your children are around twelves years of age, which is why the space has to be protected. Front teeth are different, so your son’s bite is not at risk. I would just have the tooth fairly give him something to remember and let him be the envy of all the neighborhood toddlers for being the first one in their group to lose a tooth. It’s elementary school street cred.

Even if you wanted to replace the tooth for aesthetic reasons, a dental flipper will not be the right option. These are removable devices, which makes them
a choking hazard for children your child’s age. In all honestly, you a fine just letting the tooth be for now.

Thks blog is brought to you West Seneca Dentist Dr. Emburly.
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