JAW-SOME NEWS!

Happy “Tooth-Day”!

Farah Flossit here, wishing you well:)

Tooth-Day’s report is about shark teeth & how you may discover your little one may take on a shark mouth!  The good news is, this phenomenon is actually very common & not as dangerous as a real shark, lol.  Most parents become alarmed when they look in their child’s mouth & see the permanent teeth growing behind the baby teeth.  Parents first reaction is:  What went wrong?  Aren’t permanent teeth supposed to grow under the baby teeth & push them out?  Below you will see an example of what your little jaws may look like.

SHARK TEETH=PERMANENT TEETH COMING IN BEHIND BABY TEETH

Rest assured, permanent teeth coming in behind baby teeth is NOT an emergency!  The clinical term (that you probably don’t want to use when explaining this condition to your child) is lingually erupting incisors.  It is most common with the lower front teeth when a child is about 6 years old and then the upper back molars when the child is about 11 years old.  Often teeth come in pairs, so if one tooth is not coming in correctly its partner on the other side probably won’t either.  Ordinarily, as the permanent teeth push up, the roots of the baby teeth dissolve & the baby tooth eventually falls out, allowing the permanent teeth to come in.  Sometimes, the baby teeth don’t want to leave the mouth, & the permanent teeth come in right behind them.   Don’t be alarmed if the baby teeth don’t find their way out, just tell your munchkin he or she will temporarily be a little like our friend Bruce from “Finding Nemo”:)

There are a few guesses why shark teeth occur.  Some dentists believe that this occurs because the roots of the baby teeth don’t get dissolved like they normally should & the permanent teeth have nowhere else to go, so they just come into the mouth where there is the least amount of resistance.  Other opinions are that the permanent teeth start growing in behind the baby teeth because there is too much crowding.  Another theory is that because the permanent teeth develop behind the baby teeth, this is simply a slight deviation from the norm & they just didn’t make it as far forward as they should have.  Luckily, many times shark teeth will resolve on their own.  If those baby teeth decide they don’t want to fall out on their own, most of the time, the dentist will be able to correct shark teeth before they become a problem.

If your child’s shark teeth don’t resolve on their own within a couple of weeks (like real sharks), it would be a good idea to have a dentist take a look to see what’s going on.  If needed, the baby tooth can be removed & it usually solves the problem & it becomes a great opportunity to involve the “Tooth Fairy” & make it a celebration (https://www.pinterest.com/pin/154037249729643439/).  If the baby tooth/teeth are removed & there is still not enough room for the permanent teeth to move forward & assume their permanent position in the mouth, then the dentist may perform a procedure known as disking where the dentist slims down some of the remaining baby teeth by removing a bit of enamel from them.  Doing this, should allow enough room for the permanent teeth to move into their final position.  Just to clarify, SHARK TEETH happen to approximately 1 in 10 children, so it is more common than most people think.  SHARK TEETH can be resolved & sometimes even without intervention.  When in doubt, just give us a call & we will put you at ease & provide healthy dental guidance http://www.casasmiles.com/contact-us/.  Whether or not your little ones have SHARK TEETH, keep on brushing, flossing, & smiling!:)

Thank you for tuning in on today’s Happy “Tooth-Day’s” report!

I look forward to chatting with you all next week!

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Your Friend,

Farah Flossit (Special Agent Flossit)