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Adult Permanent Teeth Coming In Behind Baby Teeth: Shark Teeth
Many parents become alarmed when they look in their child's mouth and see the permanent teeth growing behind the baby teeth. What went wrong? Aren't the permanent teeth supposed to grow under the baby teeth and push them out?
Rest assured, permanent teeth coming in behind baby teeth is not an emergency!
Ordinarily, as the permanent teeth push up, the roots of the baby teeth dissolve and the baby tooth eventually falls out, allowing the permanent teeth to come in. Sometimes, the baby teeth don't want to leave the mouth, and the permanent teeth come in right behind them. This condition is technically known as lingually erupting mandibular incisors and more commonly known as shark teeth or simply permanent teeth coming in behind baby teeth.
In this article, I'll talk about why shark teeth happen, how common shark teeth are, whether or not they're serious, and what your dentist or pediatric dentist can do to treat shark teeth. I'll even sprinkle in a couple of pictures so you can check to see if this is what is happening with your child.
Here's a close-view of the lower jaw of a child with his permanent lower incisors coming in behind his baby incisors. The child's parent commented that hours after this picture was taken, one of the baby teeth fell out. So sometimes the body can even correct the problem on its own!
Why Permanent Teeth Grow In Behind The Baby Teeth
The book Pediatric Dentistry by Jimmy Pinkham states that "the cause of ectopic and lingually erupting incisors is not well established."
There are a few guesses as to 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 and the permanent teeth have nowhere else to go, so they just come into the mouth where there is the least amount of resistance.
Other dentists say that the permanent teeth start growing in behind the baby teeth because there is too much crowding in the lower jaw.
Another theory says that because the permanent teeth develop behind the baby teeth, this is simply a slight deviation from normal and they just didn't make it as far forward as they should have.
I think that all of these are good explanations as to why this phenomenon occurs. I personally think that all three are possible explanations and any of them might be true for a specific individual.
How Common/Serious Is It to Have Permanent Teeth Grow In Behind The Baby Teeth?
This study by Gellin states that permanent teeth growing in behind baby teeth is a fairly common condition, occurring in about 10% of all children.
Luckily, many times shark teeth will resolve on their own with the baby teeth eventually falling out. Sometimes, they don't resolve on their own. So far, in less than a year of actually working in the clinics at dental school , I've seen two patients who are close to 20 years old that still had baby teeth in front of some of their permanent teeth.
One young woman has decided she will probably get braces because the baby tooth that hung around in her mouth caused a bit of crowding and now her teeth aren't aligned very well. Sadly, she never had this corrected when her permanent tooth first came in. Most of the time, your dentist will be able to correct shark teeth before it becomes a problem.
Here's a picture of a little boy named Evan. If you look closely, you'll see that he has two permanent teeth coming in on the bottom with two baby teeth still hanging around. His mom stated that the day after this picture was taken, Evan lost one of the teeth.
The two photos in this article show that many times, shark teeth can resolve on their own. However, if they don't, there are certain things a dentist can do to resolve the problem.
How a Dentist Can Help Manage Permanent Teeth Coming In Behind Baby Teeth
If your child's shark teeth don't resolve on their own within a couple of weeks, it would be a good idea to have your dentist take a look at what's going on. Your child's dentist will be able to remove the baby teeth from your child's mouth if needed, and this usually resolves the problem.
If the dentist has removed the baby teeth and there is still not enough room for the permanent teeth to move forward and assume their permanent position in the mouth, then your 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. This procedure should allow enough room for the permanent teeth to move into their final position.
In another article on this same topic, a pediatric dentist, Dr. Dean Brandon states "Often teeth come in pairs, so if one tooth is not coming in correctly its partner on the other side won't either."
It's important to make sure that all of the teeth have enough room to come into the mouth and line up just right so that your child can have a straight smile that allows for efficient chewing.
Conclusion
Keep in mind that shark teeth really aren't abnormal. It happens to approximately 1 in 10 children. Most of the time, shark teeth will resolve without intervention (i.e. the baby tooth will fall out and the permanent tooth will assume its proper position). If they don't, your dentist can assess the situation and remove the lingering baby tooth if it is necessary.
If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them in the comments section below and I'll respond. Thanks for reading!
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Hi, I'm Tom. I'm currently a 4th year dental student in the USA. I started this blog to help people take better care of their teeth. You can 
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Hi i have a grandchild that have four adult teeth that have come behind her baby teeth. Two of them have been in her mouth for a while and they have not fallen out, and daughter said that her dentist it was alrighter,but i don't think so because it don't make her teeth look good. Should she go to another dentist or not. I don't want her to wait until it is to late. My granddaughter will be nine in two months and she don't like her teeth. Tell me what to do.
Thank
Deborah
HI Deborah, I would talk to the dentist to see what his or her plans are regarding these teeth. Usually the dentist wouldn't simply say that it's "alright" without talking about what to do if the baby teeth don't fall out. Usually it's not "alright" to have two rows of teeth as it can cause problems with the alignment of your granddaughter's teeth and how the bottom teeth fit together with the top teeth.
It's always a good idea to get a second opinion. I would recommend a pediatric dentist. Although some general dentists treat a lot of children (I hope to!), some do not. In general, I would say that pediatric dentists are better trained to deal with these kinds of issues.
I hope that helps! Thank you for your comment. Let me know if you have any other questions at all.
Hi i just wanted to know my son had this problem but never was resolved. He now has his adult tooth way back in the upper part of his mouth and i would like to know how the dentist can fix that. he's 15 and has had it for about 5 years
Hi Jacob,
It all depends on how the teeth are in relationship to one another. I would recommend visiting a pediatric dentist or an orthodontist, since they are probably your best bet for resolving this. My guess is that they will simply remove the baby teeth and use braces to bring the permanent teeth forward.
It's best to get this done sooner than later as the roof of your son's mouth won't be able to be moved once the two halves are fused together, which happens during the teenage years.
Good luck, and thanks for your question. Have a great day, Jacob!
Hi,
My son will be turning 6 this march and his teeth look exactly same as in Picture 1 but only one permanent teeth behind the baby teeth. Dentist said we can remove the baby teeth or wait for sometime. I want to get the baby teeth removed but before that i want to wait for sometime to see if the baby teeth falls on its own. Question is how much time you think i can wait? Is the falling of baby teeth can happen after 6 yrs also?
Hi Srini - If your son is only 5 years old right now, then he probably has some time left for the permanent teeth to keep trying to push up and cause the baby teeth to fall out. The lower front teeth usually start to come in when a child is 6 to 7 years old.
Unfortunately, without seeing your son I can't really answer your question. If you prefer to wait for the permanent teeth to try to come in (that's what I would do for my kids), and that ends up not working, then your son's dentist will be able to let you know the appropriate time to remove the baby teeth.
I hope that helps! Sorry for the somewhat vague answer. Thanks for your comment, Srini!
Hi, im 15 and have a permanet tooth and another permanent tooth directly in front of eachother in the bottom left side of my lower kinda front teeth. Im so self concious about it and barely talk and have never kissed a guy because of it. Ive had it for 5 or so years. My mom wont take me to the dentist to get it fixed because she thinks itll cost way too much and we are frankly poor. My question is what exactly is my problem and what will the dentist do to fix it? Oh and how much will it cost? My life would be so much easier without that ruining it. Please help! xxx
Hi Alysa - I'm sorry to hear about your two teeth that didn't come in perfectly. If they are both permanent teeth, then it sounds like you have crowding in your lower jaw. This is really common and is why many teenagers get braces.
I had a similar problem when I was your age - one of my lower front teeth didn't have room to come in normally, so it started coming in backwards so that it was growing toward my tongue. I had to have braces on my lower teeth to fix that. The orthodontist was able to move around my other teeth to make room for the tooth that was coming in weird.
As for the money issue, if you live near a dental school, the initial appointment is usually not too expensive. My dental school charges about $40 for a screening.
I had a teenage patient who needed braces and could not afford them. My professor encouraged me to take that patient over to the orthodontics department. After the screening, my patient found out that there is a program through Medicaid that would cover the cost of braces!
If you live in the United States, that might be something worth checking out. Here's a list of dental schools in the United States. If one is close to you, you can call them and see if they have an orthodontics department. If not, they may know of somewhere else nearby that could help you out.
I hope that helps, Alysa! Let me know if you have any other questions.
Tom,
My daughter just turned 5 in September and around that time her 3rd molars on both sides were finishing coming fully in & I looked in her mouth tonight & her mouth looked liked picture #1 & in reading ur article you mentioned that this may happen if the mouth is to crowded. As of now it seems as if her baby teeth are not planning to come out anytime soon. Would u consider this to be a dental emergency, because I would like for her teeth to be straightly aligned as much as possible.
Thank you!
My five year old daughter has one of her adult permanent teeth coming in on the bottom behind her baby teeth very similarly to the first picture, except that at this point, there is only one tooth through the gum. I was relieved to realize this is a fairly common occurance. I found your article informative and well-written. Thank you for taking the time to write this blog. It presents good information and is patient-friendly. Now I know what to expect; I did put a call in to our family dentist, but he does not work on Fridays and I had not received a call back yet. I will probably have him examine my daughter, but I would bet that his recommendation will also be to take the "wait and see" approach. We will have her work on wiggling the loose baby tooth and see what happens. We will also be on the lookout for the second adult tooth, since they seem to come in pairs. Thanks again for a great blog! Good luck to you in your studies.
Hi Noel - It is pretty common, and most dentists are trained to know what to do when they take a look in the mouth and assess the teeth.
You're right - they do come in pairs. It could be that the other adult tooth is under the baby tooth and that one will fall out in the usual way. Thank you for your comment and your kind words - have a great day, Noel!
My 6yr old daughter has lost one lower front tooth and the 2nd one in front is pretty loose.....looking into her mouth yesterday, I saw an adult tooth growing a little behind the baby tooth that is almost out. She has already seen an orthodontist since her upper right side bite is a little off and her dentist suggested early intervention, but her sides are great. Her bottoms seemed fine as well....until now. My husband thinks that there is going to be two adult teeth....the one growing in and one under the loose baby tooth...Is that possible?
I think it is crowding. I called the orthodontist and he said that it is common and we have to wait until the four front teeth are out and then we can have it corrected early. Is there anyway to tell if other teeth might come in that way as well. When she saw the Orthodontist a few months ago, he said that the two teeth are the next to come out....that he could feel them give...but they have not budged yet....just worried now after seeing what I saw yesterday.
Anyway, thanks for your blog...it has comforted me a little
Hi Amy - There should be one tooth growing in to replace the one that fell out. Also, it looks like the other adult tooth is coming in behind the baby tooth that is pretty loose. It is probably doing this because of crowding - there just wasn't enough room for it to come in right underneath the loose baby tooth. Normally, you would have two adult teeth replace the two baby teeth. So, there should be the one tooth that is coming in where the tooth was lost, and then the one that is coming in behind the loose baby tooth.
There could be a tooth under the loose baby tooth, but that is really unlikely. If there was, it would be an extra tooth. Also, when those permanent teeth come in, they do usually come in slightly behind the baby teeth and that is why this happens so often!
The two teeth to the side of these two front teeth could come in normally or they could come in behind. What happens depends on how much room there is in your daughters mouth for the permanent teeth and the exact positioning of them right now. I'm sure they will eventually work their way out - she will probably need braces to get them all straight, but it looks like you've got that covered already. Good job!
I hope that answers your questions. Let me know if you have any others. Have a great day, Amy!
My daughter had to have the baby tooth pulled as it was not coming out fast enough and with her molars coming in, she was in pain. It came out 1-2-3 at the dentist and all is good!
Dear Tom
My son is 9 and recently visited the dentist who said everything was fine. However, two days ago my son casually mentioned that he has a new adult tooth coming through behind his already fully formed adult on the top upper right next to front tooth. It is growing quickly and is pressed right up against the back of his other tooth. Should this be extracted and if so will it be difficult and painful to extract?
Amanda PM England
Hi Amanda - My guess is that this is an extra tooth (supernumerary tooth).
If so, it sounds like it would probably need to come out. Depending on how the tooth is situated in the bone, it could be easy or difficult to remove. Your son's dentist will be able to let you know the specifics.
I hope that helps - Thanks for your comment, Amanda. Let me know if you have any other questions.
my daughter is six and I just noticed that her permenant tooth came out behind her UPPER tooth is this normal too.
Hi Nancy - This is still pretty normal. I have seen two patients so far where this has happened on the upper teeth. In both cases, it was the canine teeth. In one of the patients, the baby teeth were pretty loose and in the other one, the baby teeth were still firmly rooted in the mouth.
Your daughter's dentist will be able to help you monitor their growth and let you know if the baby teeth need any help coming out.
I hope that helps. Thanks for your comment, Nancy!
When I picked my five year old up from school this afternoon she came up to me yelling, "Mommy, my tooth is lose!". This is her first lose tooth and I was so excited for her, I set her done and asked her which one, wiggled it and then I saw the adult tooth growing in behind her lose baby tooth. My excitement flew out the window and I wanted to cry because I thought this meant she would have a crocked tooth.
I came right home and goggled it, this is when I found your article. I am so happy to know that this is a common occurrence. Since her tooth is already lose, I think that we should be okay. My question is that as long as this tooth comes out soon her tooth in the back should move up and be correctly placed right? Her mouth looks very similar to pic 1, but with only one adult tooth coming in behind the left baby tooth.
She has been getting regular dental check ups since she was three years old, and just had one in Sept. 2010. Should I see if the tooth falls out in the next couple days, or should I make her a dentist appt. asap?
Thank you so much!
Hi Chasity - Since your daughter's tooth is loose, it will probably end up coming out on its own and the adult tooth will most likely move into is proper orientation. Keep in mind, this is usually what happens in your daughter's case, but you would have to get in touch with her dentist to be sure.
If I were you, I would wait it out and see if the tooth comes out. If not, you can always call your child's dentist and see what they recommend. In one of my pediatric dentistry classes, we talked about the "emergencies" that parents bring their child into the pediatric dentist for that aren't really emergencies, and this was one of them.
Thanks for your comment - I hope everything works out well with your daughter's teeth!
I am in the same situation as the above mother. My daughters teeth look like Photo 1.
I was quite panic stricken over my daughter's teeth, but
am glad to hear, in general, the root dissolves.
I have my daughter with a well respected pediatric dentist and her last visit was Dec 2010.
All seemed fine at her appointment.
No one in my family has ever had a cavity (my husband and I are 45)
so, feeling that we were teaching good oral hygiene, our pediatric dentist said we could wait to come back in a year.
Our family was just hit with an expensive family trauma (family member quadriplegic) and
we have very little money even for groceries- no less the cost of dental care.
I am assuming from your responses that we can "wait and see" if intervention is needed.
My daughter turns 6 next month, lost her first tooth in January 2011 (genetic- mine came out later)
THANK YOU for you helpful, detailed answers to worried parents.
Hi MomLish - Congratulations on the 45 year cavity-free streak! I'm sorry to hear about your difficult family and financial situation.
I didn't lose my first tooth until 2nd grade - right around my 8th birthday! Your daughter seems to be right on schedule.
While I can't tell you what to do since I haven't seen your daughter, many times the baby teeth will work their way out. I did read a study a while back which found that somewhere around 90% of the baby teeth eventually work their way out and the permanent teeth move into the proper position as the tongue pushes on them. If the teeth don't fall out, they always can be removed later.
I hope that helps! Let me know if you have any other questions.
Hi, My son is 7 years old and he has his two top front adult teeth coming through behind his baby teeth, I took him to the dentist and they mentioned to bring him back in 4 weeks if the baby ones had not fallen out and have them removed, well thats what I did today and it was a total disaster, the numbing cream that the dentist put on obviously didnt work because when she put the injection in he felt it and screamed so loud my heart broke for him. The dentist eventually gave up and we left without my son having the teeth removed, now I am real worried that my son is scared to go to the dentist again. I would like to ask you how long would you recommend to wait to see if the baby teeth will fall out by themselves. Thank you.
Hi Debbie - One thing you might want to try is to have your son wiggle the teeth everyday to try to get them loose. Since you've already waited the four weeks recommended by his dentist, it's probably a good idea to try to get them out as soon as you can.
Another idea would be to try to find another dentist and talk to her/him about the situation. A new dentist would be a new face to your son and may help him overcome this fear. It's probably good to have your son confront his fear of the dentist now rather than waiting until later.
I hope that helps! Let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you find a way to get your son's baby teeth out!
Thanks alot
He is wiggling his teeth and I am encouraging him to do so while he is sitting down watching tv lol They are somewhat loose so maybe he will get lucky and they will fall out on their own. I will make an appointment with another dentist and see what they say.
My son's front baby teeth has now fallen out, but the permanent ones are in the back and it does not look as if it is going to "come forward". Will it eventually come right, as I have made an appointment with my dentist for next week, or should I first wait a while and see what happens?
Regards
Nicol e
Hi Nicole - Normally, the permanent teeth do come from the back (the tongue-side) and then up into the correct position. Since they didn't come forward enough to be under the baby teeth, they probably are slightly away from their normal position. Fortunately, these teeth will usually move forward and into their correct position as long as there is enough room for them to do so.
It's never a bad idea to check in with a dentist and have them look at your son's mouth to see if the teeth will come into their proper position. I hope that helps - Thanks for your comment, Nicole!
Hi Tom,
I am really concerned because my seven year old has this problem however it is on her top teeth rather than the bottom. Her two front top baby teeth are slightly loose but they have been that way for about 7 months. (Her two bottom teeth were loose for over a year and a half before they fell out). Anyways, my daughter has a very deep roof and about midway up is where the two teeth are protruding. I would say the teeth have grown about half way out. I never realized it because it is in the inferior portion of her mouth and about a 1/4 of an inch to a 1/2 an inch above her gum line. Is this a serious problem and could it possibly correct itself? What do you suggest?
Also, I just wanted to let you know that reading the above article has made me feel a little more at ease knowing that this is not uncommon, thank you for the wonderful advice you have given all of us.
Cervenda
Hi Cervenda - It might correct itself, but it might not. It seems like 0.25-0.5 inches is pretty far back to correct itself, but it still may happen if the baby teeth come out. Your best bet is to call your daughter's dentist and see if they want you to try to keep wiggling the baby teeth or come in and see if something else needs to be done.
I hope that helps! Thanks for your kind words. Have a great weekend, Cervenda!
Thank you Tom. I will be setting up an appointment with her dentist to get it checked out on Monday.
Cervenda
I hope it goes well! I'm curious about what they recommend since the permanent teeth seem to be so much further back. If you get a chance, I'd love to know what happens. Thanks for your reply, Cervenda!
Hi, I took her to the dentist and they took some x-rays. They said it shouldnt be too long before the babies fall out, just wiggle them everyday. They said I need to get her into an orthodontist soon because her palate is extremely narrow and could be caused due to crowding or something like that. I cant remember exactly how they put it. They said the orthodontis will most likely put some sort of palate expander in her mouth. And then we will just have to take it from there, oh the teeth werent quite as high above the gum line as I thought but they are almost 1/4 of an inch above but thats all...I guess I had just panicked a bit when I first noticed it and it looked worse than what it really was. Thank you again for all of your wonderful advice.
Hi Cervenda - Thanks for the update! I'm glad everything seems to be working out. Keep working on wiggling those baby teeth and I'm sure they'll come out soon!
Hi Tom,
Our 7-year old daughter exhibits a similar problem. I had read that removing the baby tooth can suffice, or the procedure of 'disking' could help.
However, her lower left lateral incisor is coming in behind the left central incisor and also unusually far back. We are in Germany, and the orthodontist here wants to pull the baby tooth, but also fit her with a removable spacer as she says there isn't enough room for the tooth to move in even with the baby tooth gone and because her permanent tooth is over that far.
Is that a sensible decision? It's difficult to make a call as a parent with only the one professional opinion.
thanks
Hi Carola -
Sometimes if there's not enough room for the permanent tooth to move forward, the dentist can shave a small amount of tooth of each side of the permanent teeth in the front to create more room side-to-side.
I assume that the orthodontic appliance would help create some space to allow the permanent lower left lateral incisor to move into its proper position. We only had a couple of semesters of orthodontics, so I really can't tell you much, but it never hurts to get a second opinion if you are having doubts about the proposed treatment.
I wish I could be of more help. Let me know if you have any other questions. Thanks for your comment, Carola!
Hello. I am glad that I found your blog. I just noticed that my son has the tip of an adult tooth growing behind his top front teeth. It doesn't seem to be extremely close to the baby teeth. He also has one growing behind the front bottom teeth, but that one seems to be pushing the baby tooth out of the way. The one on the top however seems to be back too far. It's hard to see exactly how far back it is, but it really doesn't look like it is even close to where it is supposed to be. The reason I am so worried is because he is only 5 and he is autistic. He has been to the dentist for his 2 checkups a year, but they have never been able to get xrays. He screams and cries the entire time they are looking and cleaning his teeth (and they are extremely nice and sensitive to his condition). I am freaking out right now thinking of the possiblity of him having to get them pulled...I know I am going to make an appointment tomorrow, but right now they are closed and I am seeking some advice. I honestly don't think they will be able to work on his teeth enough to pull them...there is NO WAY he will let them give him a shot in his mouth. In this situation, how do they work on autistic children or other children who are sensitive to evasive techniques. Do they have to put them under?
Thanks for any feedback
Hi Laura - If your son can wiggle his top teeth, there's a chance that he could wiggle them out and the adult teeth will move forward into their proper position.
If they haven't been able to get x-rays yet, my guess is that if the teeth do need to be pulled by your son's dentist then he will need to be put under. We have a center for patients with special needs at my dental school - I get to spend a week there each semester. Most of the work we do is done under either IV sedation or general anesthesia.
No need to freak out - maybe your son's dentist will tell you that it's not too bad and that if you wiggle the baby teeth, that the adult teeth will be able to come in without needing to get the baby teeth pulled.
On a side note, I have a niece and nephew that are autistic and I just want to let you know that I'm glad that you're taking the time to make sure your son has healthy teeth. I'm sure it's hard with all of the demands that you have, but it sounds like you're doing a great job. Keep up the good work!
I hope that answers your questions - if not, just leave another comment. Have a good evening, Laura!
Hello my 5 year old daugher has pretty much the same problem her 2 bottom big kids teeth are comming in behind her baby teeth. Her baby teeth are not loose at all they. I called the dentist and they said that it is normal and just to have her try to keep wiggling them to make them come loose i dont think they have been there long. I guess i was wondering how long i wait till i get it checked out and should i just let it stay there. I am not sure but i got more answers from this page then i did from my dentist. thank you
Hi Crystal - If your daughter keeps wiggling it and still can't get it out after a few weeks, it's probably best to go into see a pediatric dentist. Pediatric dentists have lots of experience in this area and since it's such a common problem, they deal with it a lot! It could be that there's not enough room in your daughter's mouth for the permanent teeth to come in correctly and they can give you your options for making enough room.
I hope that helps, Crystal. Thanks for your comment!
My 5 year old son has one of his permanent teeth coming in behind his bottom baby teeth. I still have 2 major concerns even after reading other comments. First, his baby teeth are not loose at all. And second, the permanent tooth is much further back. It is over an 1/8 inch behind. Will it still move forward that much? And how long should I wait to see if the baby teeth loosen?
Hi Brandi - You can try wiggling the baby teeth, but the problem may be simply due to crowding. Your best bet is to take your child to a pediatric dentist. They will be able to let you know the best way to proceed given your son's situation. Sometimes the best option is to have the dentist pull out the baby teeth so that the permanent teeth have more room to move forward. This is usually a simple procedure because the baby teeth are almost ready to come out, they just need a little extra help.
Some dentists say that you can wait a few weeks after you first see the permanent teeth for the baby teeth to loosen. If the baby teeth don't loosen, then they advise getting them pulled.
I know I didn't exactly answer your question, but I hope those general guidelines helped. It's the best I can do without actually seeing your son in person and taking a look at his teeth. Let me know if you have any other questions, Brandi. Thanks for your comment!
Hi Tom! My 6yr old daughter lost her first tooth a few weeks ago and yesterday i noticed a permanent tooth behind her baby teeth(bottom/front) The thing i'm concerned about is its behind a baby tooth still in her mouth,not behind the gap from the lost tooth. Will her teeth be really misaligned? I've always encouraged my children to look after their teeth as i believe a nice smile is a lovely thing and they'll be glad they did when they're older. I don't want to leave it too long,then her having to have a bigger procedure when it could hve been avoided. Any help would be greatly appreciated
Hi Manda - Tell your daughter congratulations on losing her first tooth! Since the baby tooth came out without any problems, it sounds like you're in a better situation than most of the other parents here. When the lower permanent teeth come in, they actually come in by moving up and forward (away from the tongue). I am guessing that as the tooth continues to come in, it will move forward into its proper position.
The book McDonald and Avery Dentistry for the Child and Adolescent states: "It is common for mandibular permanent incisors to erupt lingually, and this pattern should be considered essentially normal. It is seen both in patients with an obvious arch length inadequacy and in those with a desirable amount of spacing of the primary incisors. In either case the tongue and continued alveolar growth seem to play an important role in influencing the permanent incisors into a more normal position with time. Although there may be insufficient room in the arch for the newly erupted permanent tooth, its position will improve over several months."
In your case, I am guessing that your daughter's dentist's approach would be to "watch and wait" to see what happens. The odds are that the tooth will eventually move away from the tongue and into its proper position.
I hope that helps, Manda - Let me know if you have any other questions. Thanks for your comment!
My son will be 6 in June and today while watching him brush his teeth I noticed a "big boy" tooth behind his baby tooth. By reading this page, I am assuming I am just leaving it alone? I have been told today that I should wiggle the baby tooth to loosen it up? Then I was told he will need surgery, etc. Also he has a small space between his front teeth. His frenumen (sorry if spelt wrong) comes low, so then I was told he needs surgery on that as well. I was told this information from 3 dental hygenist that I am friends with. I am in the process of finding a pediatric dentist in my area. Do you have any advice?
Hi Heather - Most of the baby teeth do end up working their way out. I can't give you specific advice since every child is different. The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry has a page set up where you can find a pediatric dentist. Interestingly, I'm sure that if you went to two different dentists, you would probably get two different opinions as well!
Good luck getting everything figured out. I hope that helped somewhat - Let me know if you have any other questions.
Hi,
My son is 7 years old. last year his adult front teeth came out but they were pointed. We went to the dentist who had them removed after having him x rayed. six months later no tooth has appeared. I am worried. please suggest.
Hi Donna - I'm not sure exactly what is going on. There are some genetic problems that can cause adult teeth to come in pointed. If you have the adult teeth removed, then there aren't any other teeth that will come in.
An exception is if these adult teeth were extra teeth (also called supernumerary teeth), then there can still be normal-shaped permanent teeth underneath. I hope that helps! If you're concerned, it's probably a good idea to check back with your son's dentist to see what is going on.
I hope that helps! Thanks for your comment, Donna!
Hi Tom, we finally went to the dentist who x rayed my son again and assured us that he has teeth coming in, so I guess the previous set were what you called supernumerary teeth. But the dentist says that he might need surgery for the teeth to grow out so am still kinda worried. Do you have any advice?
Hi Donna - I'm glad he still has teeth coming in! As your son grows, his jaw will get bigger and that may allow more room for his permanent teeth to come in. If not, braces can be used to help pull the teeth out and into proper alignment.
I hope that helps. Let me know if you have any other questions!
My son is almost 7. Both of his bottom center baby teeth are VERY loose and the permanent teeth are coming in behind them. They are not all the way up, but they are getting there. We just noticed this a few days ago. I am assuming since his baby teeth are very loose then we can wait it out for a few days....if nothing happens within a week, we should call the dentist. Thanks!
Hi Carrie - I can't tell you exactly what to do in your son's case. However, in general if the baby tooth are loose, they should fall out relatively soon and the permanent tooth will move forward into the proper position. It sounds like everything will work out fine with your son. I hope that helps! Let me know if you have any other questions. Thanks for your comment, Carrie!
Just googled this query 'how adult teeth push up' and got your excellent blog, and feel relieved. Just noticed shark teeth pushing up for my 6 year old boy, thank you. I feel so much better now. Bless you Tom for taking the time for all of us.
Thanks, Amanda! Answering questions has helped me know exactly how to answer these same questions when worried parents bring their children to me to see if they'r alright. Have a great day, Amanda!
My son is 7 and his permanent tooth is growing behind his baby tooth at the top front of his mouth. The dentist says it is nothing to worry about and that the baby tooth will fall out itself. I would like a second opinion as his baby tooth has been a bit loose for about 3 months now without seeming to get any looser, the adult front tooth behind it is nearly completely out. The adult tooth is very big, slightly bigger than the adult tooth next to it which has grown out fine. The baby tooth next to the front babytooth has come out but beacuse of the big adult tooth next to it, I can't even see there is going to be space for the new adult tooth to come out next to the front one (I hope this makes sense). When my son bites together one front tooth is in the right position in front of the bottom teeth but the big adult tooth coming out behing the baby tooth is well behind the bottom row of teeth. Please advice if I should take my son to see a different dentist for advice or just wait and see what happens. Thanks.
Hi Diana - That makes perfect sense. Sometimes this happens because there's not enough room in the upper jaw for the adult tooth to come out. Interestingly, as your son grows, his jaw will get bigger to make room for all of the teeth. In a majority of cases, the baby tooth will eventually work its way out by itself simply due to the jaw's continued growth and the force of the tongue pushing the tooth forward every time your son swallows.
However, your son's case is a little more complex because the lower tooth is in front of the one upper adult tooth (known as an anterior crossbite or underbite on that tooth.) As far as I know, your son would probably need some sort of orthodontic treatment to pull that upper tooth out toward his lips so that it gets in front of the lower row of teeth.
In summary, the baby tooth will likely work its way out eventually, but the adult tooth will likely need some extra help moving forward.
I hope that helps - Let me know if you have any other questions. Thanks for your comment, Diana!
Hi Tom,
Thank you very much your quick reply. My sons appointment with the dentist was on the 29th March where she said just to leave it and the adult tooth would eventually push the baby tooth out and move into its right position. I went back again to the dentist on the 18th April to check as the baby tooth had become any looser since the last time I was there and the adult tooth behing the baby tooth had come out a lot more, she told me again just to leave it.
Now it is the 13th May and the baby tooth still has not become any looser since I first saw the dentish in March and the adult tooth is pretty much out but quite a bit behind the baby tooth and as I explained in the last comment when my son bites down one of the top front adult tooth is in the right positition infront of the bottom row of teeth and the other is quite a bit behind it. The top baby tooth in front of the adult tooth is in right position when he bites down. I am just worried if I leave it, the baby tooth might eventually fall out with time but the adult tooth will have come out fully (which I think it nearly is) and will not move into the right position and he will have a crossbite and also there does not seem to be any space for the new tooth coming next to the new front adult tooth. Would you advice to make a new appointment with the dentist to express my concerns? I really appreciate your advice. Thanks!
Hi Diana - Many dentists do recommend getting a follow-up appointment if the baby tooth has not fallen out on its own within a few weeks. I would call your son's dentist, explaining your concerns and then seeing what they recommend. You could also ask about what kind of treatment would be necessary to bring the adult tooth forward so that it is not in a crossbite.
I hope that helps. Let me know if you have any other questions, Diana. Thanks for your comment!
My son is 10 and has had several problems with his teeth. The biggest problem was when his top front teeth would not come out and the permanent ones came in behind. One permanent tooth was coming in quicker than the other, but a dentist went ahead and pulled both of them just in case. This was aver a year ago. The one grew in just fine, but the other is behind all the other teeth, creating an underbite (I believe that is what it's called). So, when his jaw is closed there is one tooth in front of his bottom teeth, the other is behind. Apparently it is not going to correct itself and he's getting bullied at school about it! I do have an appointment set up with a children's dentist next week. But I'm curious as to how thus can be fixed. He's only lost 5 of his baby teeth (2 on top, 3 on bottom) could he still get braces? He's very self conscious about it already and I'd hate for him to have to wait for all his permanent teeth to come in, that could take years! Do you have advice as to what dentist and/or orthodontist will suggest?
Hi Racheal - I'm not exactly sure what an orthodontist would suggest. I know that many orthodontists like to see children when they are very young (age 7 at the earliest) so that they can correct things while the jaw is still growing. It may be possible to have your son's braces completed in two stages, depending on how his mouth looks overall. I can't be too specific since I can't see your son and our orthodontic training is somewhat limited during dental school.
Your best bet is to go to a pediatric dental office that also does orthodontics to see what they can do for your son. I hope that helps. Let me know if you have any other questions. Thanks for your comment, Racheal!
I am astounded by the sheer volume of people responding to this Shark tooth issue.
I wish I was a dentist in Research-
clearly this is a VERY common issue (that includes my child)
and i am so grateful for this site and many posts.
Thanks for your comment, MomLish - I'm glad you found it helpful. Let me know if you have any questions!
My daughter is 5 years old and she has a very loose baby tooth in the front and she is asking me to pull it. Should I pull it or is it best to wait and let it fall out on it's own?
Hi Daniele - I usually recommend pulling them when they are loose. It gets it over with quickly, and if it gets too loose, it's possible that they could accidentally swallow it or choke on it. I always had my dad pull my teeth when they were loose, so maybe that's why I prefer it!
I hope that helps. Let me know if you have any other questions. Thanks for your comment!
Hi,
My 8 year son has adult tooth behind baby tooth its almost 2 months now and adult tooth are now going to be of same size of baby tooth. please share your advice...
Mak
Hi Mayank - Usually the baby tooth will work it's way out, but not always. Your son's dentist will be able to let you know how likely it is to come out on its own. If it doesn't, the dentist may be able to help loosen it and get it out for you. I hope that helps. Let me know if you have any other questions. Thanks for your comment, Mayank!
Hi , My son 7 year old has adult tooth just in front of his baby tooth and baby tooth is shaking very little. Pls advise.
Hi Sudhakar - Usually we get the adult teeth behind the baby teeth when this occurs. Are you sure it's not a supernumerary tooth?
In any case, you may want to have your son's dentist take a look to see if the baby tooth will come out on its own or if it needs some help coming out. I hope that helps. Let me know if you have any other questions. Thanks for your comment, Sudhakar!
Hi Tom , Thanks for your reply. Today we pulled out baby tooth since it was loose . However , since last one week we noticed that his upper Jaw was swollen but no pain. Is it because of Adult teeth coming from the front side ? Is it necessary to consult Dentist ? or wait for weeks time to subsidies it ? Advise.
Hi Sudhakar - I really can't answer this type of question for you since I don't know whether it's just swelling form where the tooth was pulled or if there is another problem around the tooth. To find out, you would need to consult a dentist who can examine your son and let you know of any problems. I wish I could be of more help - Thanks for your comment, and let me know if you have any other questions!
hi!
my son is only a year and a month old. his upper and lower central incisors have already came out. now, two of his lower lateral incisors are also coming out. as I was looking at his teeth, I saw this white thing behind his upper central incisor which is I think a teeth because it feels and looks like one. It is slowly coming out. is it a shark teeth? which I believe is more common in the lower central incisors. is it possible to occur to a 1 year old child? should I be alarmed?
please enlighten me. i'm really bothered about it.
Hi Jane - It is possible that it is a supernumerary (or extra) tooth that is coming out. Their most common location is behind the upper central incisors. It could also be some sort of a cyst on his gums. It's probably a good idea to have it checked out by a pediatric dentist. They are trained to recognize these kinds of things in young children.
I hope that helps, Jane. Let me know if you have any other questions. Thanks for your comment!
Hi Tom!
thank you for the response. indeed, we'll be bringing our son to a dentist for a check up. It will be his first. I have a follow up question. Would it really matter if we bring him to a regular dentist instead of a pediatric?
Hi Jane - I plan on practicing general dentistry, and would like to see children of all ages. A general dentist, rather than a pediatric dentist will work, but you may want to call beforehand to make sure that they are comfortable seeing someone that is your son's age.
I'm sorry, I mean, it looks and feels like a tooth that is growing behind his upper right central incisor.
my soon-to-be-6yr-old (in a month's time) son's 2 permanent teeth are coming out behind the two milk teeth in his lower jaw.Firstly, we want to take him to see a doctor. is there any difference between a pediatric dentist, a regular dentist, and an orthodontist? and if there is, who is the best one to deal with this?
Secondly, we noticed the permanent teeth about a month ago, and only one of the milk teeth is shaky; how long do we need to wait before planning to remove them?
Hi Mom of 3 - If this were happening to my son, I would probably go with a pediatric dentist. The length of time to wait to remove them really depends on each child. If the one tooth is loose, it may end up falling out on its own. In fact, most of these teeth do end up eventually falling out on their own.
I hope that helps - Let me know if you have any other questions. Thanks for your comment!
Hi tom well umm , i have the same problem and its wwhy i wont smile but is ther ANYTHING you can do so you can fix it by yourself ?
Hi Lizbeth - Depending on how close your baby teeth are to falling out, your dentist may recommend that you wiggle them to help get them looser. Your dentist will be able to give you some more tips depending on how the permanent teeth are coming in and how much of the roots of your baby teeth are left.
I hope that helps. Let me know if you have any other questions, Lizbeth. Thanks for your comment!
mi hijo ala edad de 5 años le retitraron los dientes primarios desde la raiz mi miedo es por que ya tiene 6 años 6 meses y no lean salido sus dientes secundarios, corre el riesgo de no le salgan o que hago?
Tom's Note: For those who don't understand Spanish, it sounds like Erick's son's baby teeth fell out when he was 5 years old. His son is now 6 1/2 years old and his permanent teeth still haven't come in.
Hi Erick - Hopefully you can read English! Some people are congenitally missing some of their permanent teeth. Your best bet would be to go to your son's dentist and get a consultation with perhaps an x-ray to check on the status of the permanent teeth and to see if they are there.
I hope that helps, Erick. Let me know if you have any other questions. Thanks for your comment!
My daughter is 16 yrs old. she has shark teeth where two permanent teeth are behind baby teeth in the lower jaw and one in the upper jaw. will it be a problem for her? will they fall even after later years?please reply
Hi Asha - In a 16 year old, I'm not sure if they would come out on their own. I saw a teenage kid who had a similar problem and I could wiggle the baby teeth but he told me not to take them out. I honestly probably could have gotten them out with my fingers, but he wanted the teeth to say in.
Your best bet would be to take her to the dentist and let them evaluate it in person to give you a better idea of what's happening in your daughter's mouth.
I hope that helps, Asha. Let me know if you have any other questions. Thanks for your comment!
Hi Tom,
I seem to be be losing enamel on my front tooth. What should I do??? Please help.
Hi Donna -
Any idea what's causing you to lose the enamel? Your dentist can probably fix it, but if you don't remove the cause, the problem may keep occurring again and again.
I hope that helps, Donna. Let me know if you have any other questions. Thanks for your comment!
This sounds like what is happening in my son's mouth, only his is reverse. All of his teeth have come in normal so far, except one of the front top teeth. His baby tooth pushed back and is horizontal now. He has an appointment in about 6 weeks, but I'm wondering if I shouldn't take him sooner. I'm worried that it will become ingrown(? Is that even possible). It's only very slightly loose, and the adult tooth is almost halfway through, so that you can't even see the baby tooth unless he looks up. I can't find anything on this situation and no one I know has ever seen it.
Hi Heidi - I haven't heard of teeth becoming ingrown. You may want to call your son's dentist and let them know what's going on. They probably have x-rays, since you mentioned that they found an extra tooth in his jaw and they'll be able to let you know if they want to see him any sooner.
I hope that helps. Thanks for your comment, Heidi! Let me know if you have any other questions.
I should have also said he is 7 yrs old.
My 12 year old daughter has this problem and she has 7 shark teeth. We want her to go fix these at the dentist but everytime we go there and they clean her teeth or something, she faints right after. HELP!
Hi Zohar - Is she scared of the dentist? There are certain medications or sedation that the dentist can give your daughter to help calm her down. If she has 7 shark teeth, then it would be a good idea to get them taken care of!
I hope that helps, Zohar. Let me know if you have any other questions. Thanks for your comment!
Hi Tom,
My 7 year old daughter who has 6 milk teeth fall out, 5 big adult teeth (2 upper and 3 lower) that already fully come out to replace them except the 6th tooth (Lateral Incisor at the lower jaw) which just comes out behind the narrow gap between the adult tooth (Central Incisor) and the milk tooth (Canine) because of not enough room to fit it in. My concern is that : Will that tooth (Lateral Incisor at the lower jaw) move forward once her jaw grows bigger later on or will it stay behind forever? What should I do? Anything I can do to help it move forward?
Hi Sandy - It may move forward, or it may not. It all depends on how your daughter's jaw grows. Your best bet would be to get a consultation with a pediatric dentist or orthodontist to see if there's any early intervention they'd want to do now to make life easier down the road. There's not really anything you can do to make it move forward.
I hope that helps. Let me know if you have any other questions. Thanks for your comment, Sandy!
My daughter is 13 and she has a canine tooth that is reallyigh in her gum and sticking out with another tooth growing behind it. We hope that its a baby tooth that hasn't fallen ut yet. Will this tooth fall out on its own or should we take her to the dentist to get pulled? It really doesn't seem loose and I thought that particular tooth fell out before but I could be wrong.
Hi Amy - It sounds like that is the baby tooth with the permanent canine tooth coming in behind it. That is a common occurrence and I've had a patient in the same situation. It may or may not fall out on its own. It's best to take a trip to the dentist so that they can examine the tooth and get an x-ray if needed and let you know what your options are.
I hope that helps. Let me know if you have any other questions. Thanks for your comment, Amy!
Thanks so much for your quick reply!!! I'm hoping thats all it is. If so, do they normally pull it in the office, or will we have to go to an orthodontist? I made an appointment for her for this coming Tuesday.
One more quick question. Should her permanent tooth straighten out on its own once the baby tooth is pulled? Thanks so much for your advice, it is really appreciated!!
Hi Amy - Once the baby tooth is pulled, the permanent tooth may be able to move into its proper position, but it may need some help with braces. Your daughter's orthodontist will be able to give you the best advice on this since they know what's going on in your daughter's mouth.
Hi Amy - It depends on the office. Some dentists will take out the teeth on their own, and some refer them out to a specialist.
I hope that helps! Let me know if you have any other questions, Amy.
My son is 14 days shy of 6 years. We took him to the dentist today to get 2 lower baby teeth out because they had been wiggling for 3 weeks whereby the back (tongoue side) was loosened, the front side was totally intact. The teeth extraction worked but was traumatizing due to the pain despite sum paste stuff they had put on his gums to numb him. When we got home and after the blood had gone, we noticed 1side ways tooth behind the teeth that just got pulled out, thus panic attack and google that got us to this message board. I am truly thankful for all the information here. The 1 side ways tooth almost looks vertical to me, I am praying it turns course soon. Now I wonder, should I just plan on getting his upper teeth extracted as soon as they wiggle to avoid this situation again? I mean I wiggled his bottom teeth every other day, and never did I see the tooth back there, it's like it snuck up on me. Thank you!!! By the way, we have the 2 teeth that were extracted, their roots in the front are intact and reasonably long to me.
Hi Violet - The permanent teeth do come in from the tongue side, so it is very common for this to occur - the tongue side of the roots get dissolved while the lip side stays intact, just like you described.
Just because it happened on the lower teeth doesn't mean that it will happen with the upper teeth. I would hold off and try to let nature take its course and work the upper teeth out. The lower tooth may straighten out somewhat or it may stay like it is depending on the severity. Your best bet is to ask a pediatric dentist who is knowledgeable in orthodontics to figure out the best way to proceed.
I hope that helps - Thanks for your comment! Let me know if you have any other questions, Violet.
Thank you Tom. The sideways tooth is really bigger than the baby tooth and it's no longer completely vertical but now is more like 45 degree angle, the 'twin' right next to it though is showing no signs of coming through, I thought that was odd but we will await to see. Again thanks for the forum.
Hi,
My daughter is 8 year old, had shark teeth. but now resolved, teeth fell out by themselves. Now, she has mild crowding about 2 to 3 mm less space in the lower front teeth. 4 front adult teeth are out both upper and lower. will the crowding settle by itself?
Also, another child with upper adult canine is coming out but very high above the gum, baby canine moving just a little. what is your suggestion regarding this?
Hi Stema - As your child's jaw continues to grow, it may make more room for the teeth, but it may not. Your daughter's dentist will be able to give you a better idea of whether or not your daughter will end up needing braces to correct the crowding. Also, your dentist may want to extract the baby canine. I was working at a practice a couple of weeks ago where we had two cases of extracting the baby canine due to similar situations as your daughters.
Unfortunately, I can't be too specific since I haven't seen your daughter - her dentist will be the one who can give you exact answers to your questions rather than generalized answers.
I hope that helps - Thanks for your comment! Let me know if you have any other questions, Stema.
Hi Tom, My 51/2 year old had a semi loose front tooth so we decided to leave it alone but now her permanent tooth started growing much higher on the gum than her other front tooth. I have never seen this happen! I was wondering will it eventually even out? Or is it something thats braces could fix? Thanks!
Hi Melinda - Sometimes it can even out, sometimes not. It could be that there just isn't enough room in her mouth to fit that tooth right now. Usually the adult teeth eventually work their way out on their own, but it might be a good idea to get a braces consultation regarding how much space your daughter has in her jaw. Most people aren't aware, but the American Association of Orthodontics does recommend a consultation visit by the age of 7.
I hope that helps - Thanks for your comment! Let me know if you have any other questions, Melinda.
Hi,
I just recently discovered that my almost 7 year old daughter has a permanent tooth coming in behind her baby tooth (lower, right front tooth). Her baby tooth is slightly loose, but I think it's been that way for the last year and hasn't gotten appreciably looser over time (she's been checking regularly ever since all of her classmates started losing their teeth). I took her to a pediatric dentist who looked at it and said we should just "wait and see". She recommended I book an appointment to look at it again in 6 months. To me this seems like a long time to leave the teeth this way. The dentist felt positive that, even if the baby tooth didn't fall out, it would be fine to wait 6 months to do something. Does this seem reasonable to you? I also worry a little because she wasn't the dentist we regularly see. Our regular pediatric dentist, after seeing a picture of the teeth, suggested we come in and told me to be sure to not feed my daughter for 3 hours prior to the visit in case they needed to use laughing gas to remove the baby tooth. We ended up not seeing that dentist for scheduling reasons.
Do you think it is okay to wait 6 months to see if the problem resolves itself or should I consider getting a 2nd opinion from my regular dentist (both dentists are in the same office).
Thanks in advance for your advice.
Hi Jared - Usually these teeth end up working themselves out over time. Sometimes they don't. There are a lot of variables. If you feel more comfortable with the other pediatric dentist, I woudl go with that. I don't think any long-term harm would come from keeping it in, but obviously a pediatric dentist has more training in this area than me at this point in my career
It sounds like you're slightly uncomfortable keeping it in, and I don't think it ever hurts to get a second opinion, especially if it's from her regular dentist that you already have a good relationship with.
I hope that helps! Thanks for your comment, Jared. Let me know if you have any other questions!
I moved up his appointment to tomorrow. I'll let you know what they say. I'm worried sick about it! It really does look ingrown in a way, It is definitely the baby tooth that had been normal until the adult tooth came in. I wish I knew how to post a pic to show you what it looks like!
Thanks for having this blog. Reading about other parents' worries and reading your calm answers has helped a lot.
Hi Heidi - Let us know what happened - you've got me curious. I'm glad you've found the blog helpful. Thanks for your comment!
They said it had re-attached and needed to be removed because the gum(roof of mouth) could start covering the tooth and cause infection. They removed it today and my son did wonderfully.
Here is a before pic on my twitpic if I do it right. It's a little blurry, but you can see the adult tooth is the one coming down (semi) straight and the baby tooth laid against the roof of his mouth.
Wacky tooth
Hi Heidi - Thanks for sharing the picture. That is interesting, and you taught me something! I wasn't aware that the baby tooth could push back into the gum tissue. I'm glad you got it taken care of and hopefully the rest of his teeth come through without any problems!
hi,i went to see my daughters dentist because she too had two incisors coming right behind the lower baby teeth,he extracted the 2 front baby teeth because they were not shaky at all.however i think there isnt enough space for them to come forward,i asked the dentist and he said to wait for 3 months ,her permananet teeth r mal alinged already and are a little overlapping in the center,what should i do?get a second opinion?
Hi Asma - You may want to get a second opinion. If there is a lot of crowding, it probably is not going to resolve on its own. If you feel comfortable getting a second opinion, I don't see anything wrong with that. Usually the earlier that these problems are dealt with, the better.
I hope that helps - Thanks for your comment, Asma. Let me know if you have any other questions.
Hi, I'm almost 21 years old and still have 2 baby teeth. I actually had two others that I've lost since I was 16, both were "shark teeth" and both were my canine teeth. The two I have left are my last canine and tooth #5 (starting from the top middle tooth as 1, it's the 5th tooth). I'm getting really annoyed with that #5 tooth, I have an old amalgam filling in it I've had since I was 7 and my whole tooth is now greyish in color because of how old it is. I've had xrays and my adult teeth are in place and really to come down. This tooth is starting to be pushed out naturally, sort of. I can poke my fingernail over the top of the tooth because it's come down far enough that one side of it is almost completely out of the gums. This also means food gets stuck above the tooth and smells really bad! The other side of the tooth is firmly stuck in my gums though, not loose at all. I've tried wrapping string around it to loosen it up but it doesn't help much and it hurts. Any suggestions or comments on this? (Other than the obvious visit to a dentist
As for the canine it's showing no signs of coming out, not loose at all, not being pushed out, and the adult tooth isn't trying to come in behind it (yet).
Hi Kalah - My only suggestion is a visit to the dentist. They will be able to determine why the permanent tooth has not come out yet. The longer these permanent teeth stay in the jaw, the more likely they are to develop problems.
I hope that helps - Thanks for your comment, Kalah. Let me know if you have any other questions.
hello, I was talking to my 13 yr old son tonight and noticed something white on his upper left gum. I got him to lift his lip so I could see exactly what it was. to my shock it is his adult tooth coming from his gum above his baby tooth. I had no idea he even had any baby teeth left or that this was Going on. he said he's known it was like that but didn't even think anything was wrong! Would the dentist do the same procedure (removing tge baby tooth and braces)even with it coming from above the baby tooth instead of behind like in your pictures and previous posts
THANKS!!!!
Tiffany
Hi Tiffany - The exact treatment would depend on many factors, such as:
- How far forward the adult tooth is in front of the baby tooth.
- If the baby tooth root is dissolving
- If the dentist believes that the baby tooth will fall out on its own or if it needs some help coming out.
In any case, it sounds like there may be some crowding issues and your son may need braces. Only your son's dentist can give you a good idea of what will need to happen.
I hope that helps - Thanks for your comment, Tiffany. Let me know if you have any other questions.
Hi Tom,
You have provided some great information.. just wanted to let you know!!!
I have 4 fangs(both bottoms and uppers) lol.. I have grown quite accustomed to learning how to speak and laugh without showing them.. however I don't want my son to go through what I went through....
My son also has an issue with shark teeth in his bottoms( he just turned 7), I had to get both teeth removed as the baby teeth didn't seem to want to come out at all. Now the first one came forward properly, however the second one does not seem like it's coming properly.. it's still crooked. So do most children that get shark teeth need braces eventually or not? And should I expect all his other teeth that come in to be the same??
Thanks alot!
~Laura
Hi Laura - I'm glad it helped! I don't have any solid statistics to back this up, but I would assume that children with shark teeth end up needing braces more often than those who don't get shark teeth.
This is simply because many times shark teeth occur because there's not enough room in the jaw for the permanent teeth to come forward. Not enough room usually means that braces will come in handy to spread the teeth out and make room for all of the teeth.
I hope that helps - Thanks for your comment, Laura. Let me know if you have any other questions.
Hi Tom~ I assumed it would mean he would eventually need braces.. lol
I think I have to get the one's beside the two bottom front pulled or scrapped/shaved down.. as there is no room for one of the teeth to come in properly. The teeth are loose. it's just his teeth are just very stubborn to come out.. no matter how much we both wiggle them! I hope his dentist can help out.. Thank you very much again!
~Laura
My 5 year old daughter just had her two lower front teeth extracted yesterday because they were not going out on there own and the permanent teeth were getting larger. I kept asking how those two permanent teeth would fit into the current empy spot when they moved up since I did not see enough room. I really was not given an answer and told they would move into the spot. Can I feel confident the empty spot will accomodate those 2 permanent teeth? How long do I wait to go back to dentist for possible disking procedure I am hearing about.
Please advise.
Hi Liz - Every child is different. If your daughter has a smaller jaw, it may need to grow some more in order to get all of her permanent teeth in. Normally the lower two front teeth don't come in until age 6 or 7, so perhaps the baby teeth would have worked themselves out if nature was allowed to take its course. Were the permanent teeth fully erupted or were they still in the beginning stages of coming in?
Your daughter's jaw may end up having enough room for the permanent teeth and they usually move forward as the jaw grows and the force of the tongue pushes them out. If there's not enough room, that can usually be corrected with orthodontic treatment (braces).
I hope that helps - Thanks for your comment, Liz. Let me know if you have any other questions.
Thank you for your helpful reply. Yes, her permanent teeth were fully erupted and almost the height of the baby teeth. The Dentist had us wait a couple month or so to see if baby teeth loosened, but they did not. Later when he pulled the baby teeth..he said he had to pull up the the whole root since the permanents were not helping push them out. Wonder why she is so early with those permanents? Only 5 1/2 years old. I guess I am looking at lots of issues later with her other permanents? The permanent teeth did erupt very centered and aligned at least. Just not quite enough space to move into position. I assume then from your response that my daughter's jaw will hopefully make space? About how long does this all take....thinking the Dentist said it could take one year to have the permanents move into position? Thanks again!
Hi Liz - Some people's teeth do come a little early, everyone is different. The average is 6 to 7 - some people get them at 5, some at 8.
It's hard to tell if the jaw will make space. Crowding at this young age can be a sign that there will be crowding in the future - it's hard to tell how your daughter's jaw will grow.
Luckily, the tongue gradually pushes forward on these teeth and can help them move forward into their proper position. I'm not sure how long it takes, but the one year estimate sounds like a good guess.
I hope that helps, Liz. Let me know if you have any other questions. Thanks for your comment!
Hi, i am 23 and my milk tooth(which is fallen yesterday) and permanent teeth which is behind the milk tooth not in proper position in the upper left side of my jaw. Im so self concious about it and barely talk . Ive had it for 5 or so years(permanent teeth).My question is what exactly is my problem and what will the dentist do to fix it? Oh and how much will it cost? My life would be so much easier without that ruining it. Please help xxx
Hi Fatima - I'm just speculating, but it sounds like your permanent canine came in behind the baby canine due to a lack of space in your jaw. If this is the case, you would probably need some sort of orthodontic treatment (such as braces) to bring your teeth into proper alignment. This can be quite expensive (in the thousands of dollars) depending on the type of treatment that is needed.
I hope that helps - Thanks for your comment, Fatima. Let me know if you have any other questions.
Hi,
I am 22 and i have a problem with my molars. My permanent teeth have grown right behind my baby teeth. Since i am in my 20s, do you think it is possible for the permanent teeth to move upfront if i get the baby teeth taken out and put on braces/ invasalign?
Thank you,
Dana
Hi Dana - You should be able to get the baby teeth removed. Are they your baby molars? If so, it may be possible that you have a congenitally missing tooth (the premolar.) Braces are a good choice to move most teeth, your dentist will be able to let you know if they will work in your situation.
My friend is 20 yrs old and has two permanent two canines before the baby canines. the space between the permanent canines and the baby one is like 5 or 6 mm. can this be fix or not? if so, how this can be done? is there any danger to fix it?
Can't wait to read from you.
thank you.
Hi James - That seems like a fairly large space. Is your friend missing any teeth? Usually when there are retained baby teeth, there's not enough room in the jaw, but it sounds like there's extra room in this situation. Does he want the baby canines removed? If so, that will create a larger gap, and it's unlikely that such a large gap would be able to be closed, but it depends on how all of the other teeth look and whether or not all of the permanent teeth have come in (if any are impacted)
Thank you for the article. I was freaking today when I seen my 5 year old daughters permanent teeth coming in behind her baby teeth. But needless to say about 8 hours after noticing the teeth both her baby teeth fell out. She tried to get a cap off of something with her teeth. She learned a lesson anyways. Thank you.
Thanks for sharing, Stephanie! I'm glad it worked out - here's some of the dangers of using your teeth as tools
My 7 year old had 'shark teeth' on the bottom, but now it appears the same it happening on the top too. Her adult teeth seem to be much farther back behind her baby teeth on top. What can my dentist to to help them realign?
Hi i have been researching and it seems to be common in children between the ages of 5-7...my nephew is only 1 and we noticed behind his 2 top teeth he has a tooth coming in and also on the bottom between the 2 front teeth. Is it ok since he is still so young...Like I stated earlier he just turned one. Please advise
thanks
HI Sylvia - That doesn't sound normal - have you looked at this article regarding mesiodens? 1 year old does seem early for a mesiodens to erupt. I hope that helps - Let me know if you have any other questions. Thanks for your comment, Sylvia!
my tooth is only a little loose and ones growing behind it
so please tell me what to do when you can
thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hi Faith - You may be able to wiggle the tooth out if it is slightly loose. Many times these teeth come out without needing to be extracted by a dentist. It would be a good idea to ask your dentist about it at your next check up.
I hope that helps - thanks for your comment, Faith.
Hi my name is Alexandra and I have a tooth growning behind my left canine. But it's not facing the same way as the canine, it's facing the same way as my two front teeth. I told my parents I had a tooth growing in this area but they never called a dentist now it's grown a lot and they're concerned. I'm scared because I'm only fourteen, will the dentist be able to fix my problem and if so how will they do this?
Hi Alexandra - You could have crowding in your jaw, which caused your tooth to erupt behind the other. You may need braces to correct this. The orthodontist may determine that there simply isn't enough room in your jaw for all of your teeth and may choose to extract a couple of them (this is fairly common.)
I hope that helps - Let me know if you have any other questions. Thanks for your comment, Alexandra!
no i mean i have all my adult teeth but my teeth are crooked now & i HATE to smile sometimes i feel so insecure , i feel ugly like whos gonna like me like that ? & i dont have money for braces or invisalign . so like is there any way you can fix them natrually ?
Hi Lizbeth - As far as I know, the only way to straighten teeth is by applying force to them. This is done with braces or Invisalign.
I hope that helps - Let me know if you have any other questions. Thanks for your comment, Lizbeth.
oh welll thank you
hello sir
my sister is 7 years old.she has a permanant tooth behind her baby tooth as shown in the 1st pic.she has it for about 1 or 2 weeks and now another one is growing beside it. my mother says to move the baby tooth and broke it on her own and not take the permission of dentist. my sister's baby tooth is moving a little and we are now trying to break it. is it right ?or we should wait for another two weeks ?
thank you and please reply
ill be waitn for u
Hi, I am 18 years old and one of my permanent teeth is already fully sprouted behind my baby teeth in my upper jaw and there is also another permanent teeth coming in on the other side but there is another baby teeth there. So I would really appreciate your advise on this. What would be the best thing to do and if it is costly and if this is urgent or not really important. Thank you!
My 6 year old son has a permanent tooth coming in behind his front bottom tooth. The baby tooth that the permanent tooth is growing behind is a baby tooth that is two teeth that budded together before it grew in when he was just a little guy. So he had 19 baby teeth instead of 20. How long would you say I should wait to take him to the dentist for this? He just had a visit back in June for a cleaning and the dental assistant said that it was loose however the tooth has not budged and does not wiggle. His tooth next to the budded tooth is loose. Does that help him? Now we have his permanent tooth coming in. Do teeth that budded together take longer to fall out then teeth not budded together. Any ideas would be a great help.
My nearly 7 yr old son has a front tooth erupting "in front of" his baby tooth. It is about half way out, in a nice vertical position. All the above posts seem to be about teeth coming in behind. His other front adult tooth came through a few months ago just fine. How common is it?
So his baby tooth is wiggly and has been for about ~ 6 weeks.
We saw the dentist a month ago (at Mum's apppointment) and he said to wait.
My son's other baby teeth have taken a 2-3months to fall out after being wiggly.
How long should I wait?
Given that the tongue pushes teeth out (as mentioned in above posts), what are the chances that the new front tooth "out in front" come back into place without intervention?
Thank you
Hi Tom,
My child lost both of her top front teeth over 3 months ago.
They were loose (very loose & crooked) for an unusually long time before they finally dropped.
Both teeth- though one far more significantly than the other- left large fleshy tabs (which I understand is fine & the tabs fell out within the week).
One of her permanent front teeth has been growing in perfectly but the other one hasn't even begun.
Yesterday while feeling around her gum I felt that a tooth has begun to erupt in the back, upper part of her gum.
Any idea why this is happening? There is no longer a baby tooth in that could force this out the wrong way- just a lot of space. Also, what can be done about this?
Thank you!
Best,
GS
During feeding my child I saw something white behind the milk teeth.On closer examination I noticed the
permanent teeth behind the milk teeth similar to the first picture.Growth indicates that the teeth has reached
half its growth stage.Next to this teeth the eruption of another teeth are being seen.The milk teeth shows no sign of dislodging.Hence do we need to approach a dentist or wait for some more time to seen if the milk teeth falls out.
Hi, my 8 year old daughter just lost her upper front tooth. Behind it was the adult tooth. Now, when she closes her mouth, the front tooth is resting behind the bottom tooth. Will it move into place, or will it push out the bottom teeth. It looks like there is enough room for the front tooth to move forward, but I am worried that it might be too late? Do you know if the top teeth can move into position? Is there anything she can do, like push it with her tongue?
Thanks so much!
Michelle
thanks so much for an informative article.
My son is 7 and a half. His front bottom teeth have been wiggly for a while and a couple of weeks ago I noticed his "shark teeth". He has also had a wiggly front top tooth, and I noticed more recently that there is also a tooth appearing behind this one. All three teeth have wiggly for a while but he won't let my test them.
I've begun to worry as the top one in particular is looking really strange - it is being forced forward at an angle. The whole tooth seems to have moved sideways (more towards the other centre tooth), creating a gap on the other side. It is altering the way his top lip closes - you can see the tooth a little bit now when his lips are lightly closed... the baby tooth is now angling almost 45o forward.
I get the sense from your article that because the teeth are definitely moving, that there is not too much to worry about. However, the system here in NZ is quite different - we generally have mobile dentists that visit schools and there is quite some time before they are due back at our school. Would you suggest it generally sounds normal, or would you recommend that we find out how to see a dentist before very long?
Thanks!!!
I really need in answer I'm 13 people have always complamented my teeth there 100% straight I lost all my teeth except one when I was 11 this tooth has always been weird it was super small 3/10 of a normal adult tooth I think its called your k9 tooth its the sharp vampire tooth I guess my other one looks fine but this tooth was barly wiggly when I noticed a other tooth just popping out right behind it my mom called my dentist and scedualed in appointment for the end of this mouth I freaked out and 6 hours later finally riped the tooth out I'm afraid this tooth is gonna try to align its self in place causes it to push other teeth causes a domino effect and unstraighting all my teeth then I'm gonna need braces
Hi Shane - It's likely that there wasn't enough room for the permanent canine to come in. Sometimes by extracting the baby tooth (kind of like you did!) the permanent tooth will move into its normal position. Here's a study to look at. Hopefully it will work out, you may still need braces - your dentist can let you know for sure. I hope that helps.
Hi, My 2yrs. Son have ingrown teeth growing behind his upper front teeth. Is this Normal for a 2yrs.?
Hi Doreen - That doesn't seem normal - it would be a good idea to get it checked out by a pediatric dentist.
Hi, thanks so much for many great advices.
My daughter is 10, and she is missing two upper teeth near the front on each side,
so her upper front teeth has big gaps.
She starts to grow one permanent tooth outside of one her baby tooth in upper gum,
but the baby tooth is not loosen at all, is there any case that she can keep her baby tooth,
since she is missing two teeth since born.Thank you.
Hi Tom, When I was about 15-16 years old, my dentist at the time pulled out my baby tooth that was in way of my permanent tooth from coming in. I was experiencing this lingually erupting mandibular incisors also known as "permanent teeth coming in behind baby teeth" with one tooth on the top front side of my mouth ( so the 3rd tooth in the front on the side). I am really pissed because now am 21 and feel very self conscious about my teeth, because everytime when I smile people can notice that it looks like am missing a tooth, because of it hidden in between of the other two of my teeth. The tooth was basically pushed back by the baby tooth and isn't coming back to place. I really don't want to get braces for one tooth, I feel that it is too unnecessary and a waste of money that I already don't have. I blame my dentist at the time because i been going there for a while and he allowed my tooth to permanent tooth to grow like that. I would love to go back and confront him and ask him why he didn't pull out my baby tooth from way before so I wouldn't be in this situation, but what would that do.. I hate braces and would appreciate if you let me know what other options are there so I can get my tooth to be replaced in the front where it belongs and not hiding so it doesn't look like am missing a tooth. p.s. I was told braces would probably have to do or retainers but I dont know if that is strong enough to push it back.. and what about invisible braces? please give me all options. Thank you.
Hi Tom,
My son just turned 5 and he has already lost two of his baby teeth. He lost the first one at 4 (3 weeks before he turned 5), but the dentist said it was normal since he had most of his baby teeth already by his first birthday.
The first one fell and within weeks he got a new tooth, which is still growing perfectly straight. The problem was that he had not lost his second one and he already had another one growing behind the second one, but sideways. The baby tooth fell within a week of his dentist check-up and that is when I saw the permanent one growing sideways. It is moving forward, but still sideways and it seems there is not enough room for it. NoteL: His dentist told me a few weeks ago during his last visit, that there are other teeth loosening up. Will his sideways tooth straighten once the tooth right next to it falls, or is it going to stay that way?
What is done in this case?
Thanks for any
Hi Veronica - It sounds like there is some crowding issues. Are there any spaces between his baby teeth? Ideally, there is some space between some of the baby teeth, which is known as "leeway space." This space ensures that there is room for the permanent teeth to come in since the permanent teeth are bigger than the baby teeth. The tooth may straighten up, but if there is crowding, he will probably eventually need braces to help correct that.
I hope that helps - Let me know if you have any other questions. Thanks for your comment!
Hey. I'm 15 and I still have one baby tooth left in the left side of my mouth. I have been wiggling it for about a day now because I need to get it out before my visit to the orthodontist tomorrow. This tooth isn't very loose but it needs to come out in order for me to be able to haver braces fitted. Is there any ways of making it looser so that i can pull it out? Thank you.
Hi Sarah - The best way I know of is to keep wiggling it. If not, your dentist should be able to get it out for you.
Okay thanks, roughly how long will it take to come out if I wiggle it everyday? I need to get it out before my next Orthodontic appointment in January.
hi there
i have just seen my six year old son developing the permanent teeth behind the baby teeth today.Could u let me knw hw long do i wait before we see the dentist.
Thanx
Hi Misha - You could call your son's dentist or if he doesn't have one, it would be a good time to get him one to make sure everything is going well in his mouth. Sometimes the baby teeth will fall out on their own.
Hello Tom,
Thank you for having this article regarding this very startling "thing" for a parent and child to experience. I have read through MOST of the comments on here, but did a control "find" for what I am about to ask and did not see it here. My daughter is ALMOST 5 years old, about a month a way from it acutally. Is it normal for adult teeth to come in this early and behind the baby teeth? I have three other children and have never had to go through this with either of them. I feel better knowing that her baby teeth will probably fall out on their own, but I am terrified that she will have to have them pulled. I don't know where she has gotten the anxiety she has to see the dentist, but she was FREAKING OUT when I told her she had another tooth coming in behind her baby one. Little did she know that I had already made an appointment for this coming friday to see the dentist and she literally started screaming bloody murder. I am so not looking forward to friday. Anyway, I just thought I'd ask if this is common in not yet 5 year olds. Thank you.
Hi Tian - It is a bit early for permanent teeth to come in, but I've heard of 4 year olds getting their permanent teeth. Although the average age is around 6 or 7, many kids get their permanent teeth earlier, and many get them later. I didn't lose my first baby tooth until I was 8 years old - I was late!
Hi Tom, I have a daughter who had her top incisor come out in front of the baby tooth. A couple of weeks later sure enough the milk tooth popped out and the new tooth seems to be correcting itself, except for one thing, another tooth seems to be growing on the inside and she hasnt lost another milk tooth yet or even has a wiggly molar.........wots up?
Hey Tom, I am 17 years old and my upper canine tooth has grown in behind my baby tooth. And I was wondering after I get the baby tooth pulled, how long will it take to get the permanent canine back into place? Will I need braces or will it go into place on it's own?
my son is 6 years old , i just find down he had 1 sharp tooth grow behind his baby tooth ,but baby tooth is healthy ,it cant fall off by themself in few week ,should i take him to see the dentist soon or wait for few month
Hi, I just noticed my 6 years old son has a shark tooth today. My question is: we were just at the dentist 6 days ago for check up, x-ray, and cleaning. Wouldn't they have seen it on the x ray?
Hi Laura - They most likely didn't take x-rays of the front teeth, as we can usually visualize cavities there without the need for x-rays (and radiation exposure to your child!)
Even if they did take x-rays of the front teeth, the x-ray is only two dimensional and would only show the up-down and side-to-side position of the teeth, it wouldn't show if the tooth was too far back or too far forward. Let me know if that makes sense. Most of these baby teeth do end up eventually coming out on their own.
Let me know if you have any other questions.
Hi! I have the same problem, but my tooth grew from the front, not back. My parents wouldn't' take me to the dentist, and I've decided now (at 21, after about 10 years) to get it fixed... if it's possible. It's been bothering me; gum line bleeding easily, and hurting. I have trouble brushing it, too. My question is, if I were to get the baby tooth removed, would it push down eventually? It's high up to where the bottom tooth reaches the middle of my two front teeth.
Or would it be easier if I were to get both (If possible) removed and have a bridge/crown done? I want to be able to smile and not worry about people seeing it. If you could answer I'd appreciate it! I'm really nervous/embarrassed about seeing the dentist, but I really want this fixed.
Sorry, me again. My wording was kind of funky. I meant, "where the bottom of the tooth reaches the middle of my two front teeth". It's the second tooth from the front teeth, in case you need to know.
My 7 year old son has lost his right upper medial baby incisor with the adult tooth coming in nicely. Just today he pointed out that his left upper adult incisor has just erupted slightly behind the left baby tooth which is just starting to get loose. We are already aware of their being a possible orthodontic need for a mild mal-occlusion which my dentist said would only be dental IF the upper incisors grow in front of his lower incisors (she specifically mentioned we should watch VERY closely and could use a bite block to help ease them in front of the lower medial incisors if needed).....do we need to get the upper left baby tooth out ASAP since the adult tooth has started emerging? Or can he try to wiggle it for a week or two?
Thanks so much for your time and for creating the blog!!!
Hi Kendra - If the baby tooth is loose, I would think that it will eventually come out on its own. You could have him try to wiggle it and see if it comes out. If you're in doubt, it would be a good idea to get in touch with his dentist. Thanks for your comment!
My four(4) year old has this and the dentist didn't hesitate to pull out the teeth. I'm wonderig if this was a premature move? Do you think that we should have waited to see if they would fall out on their own?
Hi Chrysta - I can't answer that question as there may have been other factors that contributed to your dentist's decision. Sometimes they need to be pulled, and sometimes they come out on their own. Your dentist probably made the best decision for your child.
Hi,
I have the very same problem and i am nearly 30 years old!
I thought the same that in time the front possible "baby tooth" would get pushed or just fall out.
My problem now is that over the last few months a hole has appeared between the front tooth, the one growing behind and the lateral incisor which in turn houses food and bleeds most mornings when i wake up.
Must admit I have not been to see a dentist in years and kind of scared about going now in case nothing can be do to rectify the problem and cost to rectify it.
Thanks
Dan
UK
Have you ever heard of this happening in an infant? My son is11 months old and cut his first two top teeth at 7 months. Now he seems to be cutting a second tooth behind one of his top middle teeth.
My 7 yr old son Tom finally pulled out his front tooth (upper), the permanent tooth is coming down nearly a centimeter behind and is facing virtually completely backwards. Will the tongue really sort that out?!
Hi - I thought this was a joke, since I'm Tom also!
In these cases, it's best to get a consultation with a dental professional to determine whether or not the tooth will come forward on its own. Sometimes it may be beneficial to wait and see if it starts correcting itself. If it is backwards, it will most likely need some help from braces.
I have to say i found this rally useful
hi,
i have 3 baby teeth with pernament teeth growing on top of them
the dentist said to wobble them, but i dont want 2 because when the tooth comes out there will be a big hole of gum, were the tooth/tooths were
everybody can see the teeth and they look terrible
help me please
and reply
Hi Tom,
I have a 6 1/2 year old daughter. I noticed that her permanent canine tooth is growing behind her 2 baby teeth in the left side of her jaw. One of her baby tooth fell out this weekend. However my concern is that her permanent canine tooth doesn't seem to have enough space to grow and push out as her baby canine tooth seem to be blocking it. Is it recommendable to remover her baby canine tooth at this time or will the permanent canine tooth will simply find its place as time goes by?
Hope you could help me on this.
Thanks
I just discovered that my daughter has "shark teeth." This blog has been an awesome tool in informing me about her problem. I was very concerned when I first discovered them, but after reading the article and posts, I feel so much more at ease. Thank you for taking your time to help people. The world needs more people like you. Merry Christmas!
By the way, I scheduled my 6 year old a dentist appointment just for him to check her out. One quick question though, she will be seven soon and has not lost any of her teeth. Is that normal?
Hi, my daughter is 5 years old and I have just noticed that she has a back tooth semi grown (as above picture) however her baby tooth is NOT loose at all. Obviously I am anxious...our dentist is away for 2 weeks and I do not feel comfortable taking her somewhere else. As the tooth is not loose will she need to have it surgically extracted? Is this normal? Thanks
Hi,
This site is very helpfull and answers most of my questions. I have one question regarding my daughter baby teeth.
Her baby teeth did not falloff yet but she started getting her permanent teeth and my doctor suggested removing the baby teeth by giving her anesthesia. Is it ok if we give anesthesia for 8 year old. Please let me know. Usually what is the procedure to remove the teeth?
Thanks!
Hi Tom - I've read the vast majority of questions and your very helpful answers, but haven't quite found what I was looking for! My son is 9 1/2 and has recently been given an orthodental removable plate on his top teeth to correct alignment. His dentist also wants to remove 3 baby teeth to aid the movement of his teeth as he has one adult tooth growing directly behind a baby tooth (top, front-right incisor).
He had one on the bottom removed (so that the middle teeth can straighten to the middle) 2 weeks ago which went brilliantly. He was very brave with just the gum numbing gel and a local injection. He was due to get a second one on the top removed today and he just freaked out (not quite hysterical, but not far off!) at the thought of the needle again.
My first question is how can we reason with him to explain the importance of a little pain now will prevent a lot more pain or embarrassment when he is older? What would happen if we left the baby teeth (they're not wobbling at all!)?
Second question is what tips would you give to make him more relaxed?
Great articles - good luck with your career!
Many thanks from Scotland!
My daughter is five years and has trisomy 21 (Downs syndrome). She allready has one of her bottom adult tooth protruding (with baby tooth loose but intact). although it is unusual for her adult teeth to be erupting so early, it was a relief to hear that there is no need to be concerned. I will contact her dentist on Monday.
Hi!
I'm a 24 year old and I just want to share my experience with parents whose children are facing the same problem I was. I had 7 shark teeth, 5 on my lower jaw, and 2 on my upper (between ages 7 and 11). In 6 of these 7 cases, as soon as a permanent tooth would start growing, my dentist would pull out the corresponding baby tooth. I was terrified, because my baby teeth were really strong, but I can honestly say it was worth it. I have perfect teeth now, I have never worn braces. On one tooth, however (thankfully not a very visible one) I followed the "wait and see" approach. My baby tooth eventually fell and nothing went wrong, but the permanent one never got in a perfect position. I know everybody is different, but if my kids are gonna have shark teeth, I know what I will decide for them.
Hello, my 5yr old daughter lost both her front middle bottom teeth on the same day and now the new ones are growing through. One is in perfect position but the other is in the right area but too far back. Doesn't look like there isn't enough space for it to be in the right position so why is it not growing where it should be?! Will it move forwrd on its own naturally or will we need dentist to realign it somehow? Hope you can help, thank you.
Hi Tom,
I'm so glad I found this blog. I started freaking out about a 2wks ago when this started happening to my 6yr old daughter. It's amazing how quickly a permanant tooth can come in. We were excited when Lindsey's 1st baby tooth started to wiggle, but worried about a wk later when a tooth popped right in behind it. Now "it's partner" is starting to show up. She has really straight teeth so to be on the safe side I'm going to make a dentist appointment this week and possibly have at least those two baby teeth pulled.
hi am 21 yrs old i have a proplem a still have my upper mouth canine baby tooth and an already developed baadult tooth on my palate i haven gone to the dentist since am scares and i didnt have medicaid which now i do and i wanna fix this problem because it looks so igly ..what is the procedure for thise
THANK YOU!!!!!! My 6yr old son, just got off the bus & told me his tooth was hurting, I looked in his mouth & said "OMG" so scary, that I scared him, I couldnt believe my eyes, their was TWO teeth growing behind his babyteeth, it scared me so bad!! I was waiting on his pedi. to call back, and was getting ready to rush into the ER, when I just said id check online to see if i could find anything, while waiting on his doc to call back. I was so releaved when I found this page, I even yelled for him to "come here & look, this little boy has the same thing". He was scared, mostly because of my initial reaction, Ive never heard of shark teeth, or seen anything in my life like it. Thanks again for this page, & the pics as they confirmed "shark teeth" is what I was looking for. As he is in no pain, I will just try and make him a denist appt in the morning. Thanks again, from a concerned Mother!! Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU! LOL.
I am 12 years old and I have bumps on the backs of my top front teeth. Are they just extensions of the permanent teeth or possibly another set of teeth trying to come in? Or could they also be pieces of baby teeth that just never came out? Thanks. =D
Thanks for the info....I now know that there is a name for her new tooth....we have a cleaning apointment in a couple of days so we can go from that point on...and I can stop freaking out.....Thanks again
My teeth are like like this and have been for a long time im joining the air force so it needs to get taken care of thanks for the help
Joel
Hi
My Son's milk teeth were not moving by the age of 7.5 and the dentist recommended pulling the two front ones and that is what we did. Now one permenant tooth has come out Ok but the other one has not appeard yet. It is now over 4 weeks since his teeth were extraxted and I am starting to worry that the dentist may have broken the permenant tooth behind the milk tooth. Can this be the case and if so what corrective work is available.
Thanks for the information. My 4 year old lost a tooth last week. It was tiny and slim. I now see her permanant tooth coming in behind where the baby tooth fell out. It is larger than the baby tooth so, it might be a crowing issue. The tooth next to the one that fell out is loose so, that might help. We go to the dentist every 6 months and she has an appointment later this month. Thanks to you I know to refer to it as a shark tooth and I'm not going to worry. Hope you have much success as a dentist!
My daughter, now 6, has been complaining about a bump in her mouth for a while (month or so). Now this last week she's been saying that it hurts. I told her I didn't know what to do for her because before when I looked I didn't see anything. Tonight I looked, because she was all excited about her tooth being loose, and I noticed that the bump was most likely her new tooth. It is way low on her gum though, like a good 1/4 of an inch lower then the rest of her teeth. I feel SO bad for her because she says it hurts, like she doesn't want to eat or brush her teeth AND because she's been telling me about it regularly for about a week now and I haven't REALLY looked into it. I plan on talking to the dentist first thing tomorrow. Guessing they will want to take an xray. I haven't seen anyone else comment that this issue has hurt.
Thanks for a well-written, informative and reassuring article. Yours was the first hit I got and it answered all my questions and concerns about my five year old's "shark-teeth." I will take your advice and see if the situation resolves itself. I am curious if it is known to be hereditary, as I had to have six (!) molars pulled when I was nine, as the permanent ones were coming in very oddly. I still remember the experience! (And that the dentist, laughingly, called me "dentally retarded.") Hopefully it won't come to that for my little guy.
Again, thanks - your site is awesome.
Cheers,
Samlet
So I feel like the worlds worst mother right now. I was holding my six year old and he yawned really wide and I noticed he had "shark teeth". He never complained about his teeth being lose or hurting and has been brushing his own teeth for 2 years. My husband was able to pull out the baby teeth very easily. However, I am concerned because he has two holes in the front of his gums and his permanent teeth are back behind. Will they shift forward? Or will he need braces to correct this eventually?
Hi Tom, The information you post about "shark teeth" helped me a lot. My daughter will be 7 in July. She still has the baby front teeth with two adult teeth coming in behind (one of them actually is now same size as the baby teeth ones). Baby teeth was wobbly for a while but now it is kind of firm again. She was not interested in pulling/moving her teeth. I noticed the adult teeth growing tiny last December but as I mentioned before it is almost regular size. We went to see her Doctor today, she suggested to remove four front teeth in order to make space for the two adult (Just like in the pictures adult teeth are slightly bigger that baby teeth). My question is... Do you think it is a good idea to remove four baby teeth at once? Or maybe just the two front baby teeth and wait to see how adult teeth are getting in place? Thanks in advance. Have a nice day!!!
I have seen shark teeth on children but what happens if they are already in their adult age. would braces help or will they have to be removed & replaced with implants? also want to know if the New Hidden Braces will be able to fix the Problem?
Hello Tom! I hope you read this!
I can honestly say I am relieved after having read your article. But I still have a query.
You see, I am 16 years old going on 17 in July. I have had 2 shark teeth [canines] behind the baby canines for about 2 years now. I visited a dentist & she said she'd remove the baby teeth & I may have to wear braces to allow the permanent teeth to align properly [*CRINGE*]. I went for a second opinion & she said I'd have to remove my permanent teeth because my baby teeth were very firmly rooted & that many people had baby teeth for the rest of their lives! I am extremely confused & hope you will be able to resolve this. Thank you for such an informative article
Also, will the procedure of removing the baby teeth & allowing space for the permanent teeth be painful? & how long?