Tuesday, March 19, 2024
HomePediatric DentistryAdult Permanent Teeth Coming In Behind Baby Teeth: Shark Teeth

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!

Shark Teeth - Permanent Teeth Coming In Behind Baby Teeth

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.

Shark Teeth: Permanent Teeth Coming In Behind Baby 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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460 COMMENTS

  1. 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.

  2. 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!

      • My son is 7 and has a tooth coming in behind his baby tooth, he is having a lot of discomfort and it seems like there is no way for the baby tooth to come out because it’s wedged between two others. Should I be concerned?

  3. 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!

      • I have a tooth growing behind my baby tooth when i go to the dentist and yhe see thia and they pull it out will they put me to sleep because my baby tooth is so pain fully

      • Hi I’m Elaina I’m 13 and my two shark teeth just fell out 3 weeks ago and they haven’t grown in what should I do???? Please help

      • I have the same question as Sirini, My son will be 6 in a month and has 2 coming out , one more apparent than the other , however , from sighting the perm tooth , how much to give ? if the child is say 6 , thank you Tom

  4. 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.

      • Hi, I’m 12 and I have lost 15 of my baby teeth and I have permanent teeth growing in front of my baby teeth and se of my baby teeth are ready to come out but I hate having my baby teeth being pulled out by my mom I’m just scared and I don’t know why but is it a bad thing that this is happening

      • I’m 18 and I have the same problem as Alyssa there. Never could afford the treatments and parents never made any effort to find ways, so my teeth suffer that of a sharks mouth as well as those mamelon things.
        Just wondering if it’s to late for my case. If not then I will urge my parents desperately but if not then ugh I’ll live with this weird alignment…

    • 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 5 yr old son has the 2 bottom, front, adult teeth right behind the baby teeth. They look quite large
        and my question is if this indicates that his teeth will come in crooked. He has had fillings and even
        one pulled. He brushes 2 to 3 times a day but, his diet is not the best, getting him to eat at all can be a challenge, how worried do I need to be?

    • Has she applied for a government dental program? She should do her best to find every was possible to get you help and get you teeth cleaned and checked regularly. Like he said dental schools are great and dental hygiene schools have very cheap cleanings (they do an awesome job to get a good grade!) my husband goes to one. There’s also a medical card called Care Credit that covers dental and has low interest rates. We have that too. I don’t want to disrespect your mom but I think a parent owes it to their child to provide good dental care. Your self esteem sounds like it’s suffering and it could also lead to jaw problems as you get older. Good luck I’ll be praying for you sweetie.

  5. 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!

  6. 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.

  7. 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!

  8. 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.

          • My daughter is 7 and her two lower baby teeth finally came out eventhough the permanent teeth were alredy behind them. The dentist said it is normal but a few days ago, it seems like another bottom tooth is coming out through the front gum.
            Does it have to be removed? and why is this happening?

  9. 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.

    • Hi, I was reading your comment. They should not use needles for kids. Pediatric dentist in Canada started a special ‘juice’ that kids drink..like medicine, but they have to know how to convince the kids! I believe it’s liquid sedative. Canada switched to this way for children and teens under 18.

  10. 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!

  11. 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!

  12. 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!

  13. 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!

  14. 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!

  15. 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!

  16. 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.

  17. 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!

  18. 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!

  19. 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!

  20. 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!

  21. 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!

  22. 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.

  23. 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!

  24. 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!

  25. 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!

  26. 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!

  27. 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.

  28. 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!

  29. 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!

  30. 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!

  31. 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 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!

  32. 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.

  33. 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!

  34. 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!

  35. 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!

  36. 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.

  37. 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.

  38. 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.

  39. 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.

  40. 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!

  41. 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!

  42. 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.

  43. 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.

  44. 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.

  45. 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

  46. 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!

  47. 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.

  48. 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.

  49. 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)

  50. 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.

  51. 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?

  52. 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!

    • 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.

  53. 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!

  54. 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.

  55. 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

  56. 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!

  57. 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.

  58. 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

  59. 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

  60. 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.

  61. 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

  62. 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!!!

  63. 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.

  64. 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.

  65. 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.

  66. 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!

  67. 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.

      • 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.

  68. 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.

  69. 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!

  70. 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?

  71. 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?

  72. 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

  73. 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.

  74. 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.

  75. 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.

  76. 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!

  77. 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.

  78. 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

  79. 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.

  80. 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.

  81. 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 🙂

  82. 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

  83. 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?

  84. 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

  85. 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!

  86. 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!

  87. 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.

  88. 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.

  89. 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.

  90. 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.

  91. 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

  92. 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.

  93. 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

  94. 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

  95. 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

  96. 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.

  97. 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!

  98. 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.

  99. 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

  100. 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?

  101. 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!!!

  102. 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?

  103. 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? 🙁

  104. I had my bottom front teeth come in behind my baby teeth. My dentist pulled my baby teeth because they werent coming out on their own. Was then 7. Ive had braces three times – my lower jaw is still quite crowded and crooked even after the braces 🙁 my current dentist suggests filing sides of teeth and invisalign to fix them. Not sure if i will…im now 35 and have other things to take care of first. So, in my case, seems the lower jaw was just too crowded for them to come in under the baby teeth.

  105. hello, my niece is 14 and has an adult tooth coming in under her baby tooth, she cant go to the dentist anytime soon,and shes very insecure about her smile because of this. she also might not be able to get braces because of bad insurance, what can the dentists do to fix this? please help.

    thanks!

    Shelby Gray

  106. Hi
    My name is Becky and my son has one of his permanent teeth growing behind one of his baby teeth and it just started about a few months ago. Is it normal that he is 14 years old?

    • Sarah, I was 15 when mine came out & now Im 16 but the baby teeth are as firmly cemented. So dont worry, it’s normal!

  107. yes, my 6 year old son just lost his first baby tooth today. His adult tooth has been coming in for a couple of weeks now. His baby tooth has been loose for a couple of days & he was very cautious when he would eat. So tonight I asked him if it would be ok for me to wrap dental floss around it & have him pull down to knock it out. Was this ok for us to do? Also I am concerned because he has such a big over bite over the 2 front lower teeth. But the lower tooth to the right of those teeth comes out over the top teeth when he bites down & very noticeable when he smiles. Is this something to be concerned with? I had braces & retainers as a teenager, is this something he will have to endure as well? Thank you, Wyatt’s Mom

  108. Thank you very much for listing this information. Our five year old daughter has sharks teeth and says that her teeth hurt. Is there anything we can do to manage the pain?

    Thanks,

    Dave

  109. I have a 6 yr old daughter who hasnt lost any teeth at all. So i was very excited when her bottom front tooth became loose. Well its been that way for about a month and now its not so loose anymore and i noticed she has another tooth coming in behind it. Im not sure what to do. is this something that is serious? Her check up is next month should i take her in now or wait till then?

    • Hi Janie – Normally it’s not an emergency and it can wait until your daughter’s appointment. It’s best to contact your daughter’s dentist just to make sure. The teeth may need some help coming out, but if they’ve been loose already it won’t be bad at all.

      Thanks for your comment, have a great weekend!

      • Thank you so much. I feel alot better now. It just kind of freaked me out. I left a message with dentist about it today. Thank you sooo much for your help.

  110. Hi Tom,
    I found this article as I was looking for answers to same issue. My son is 6yrs old and will be 7 in a few months. His teeth are normally perfectly aligned no noticeable gaps or anything. Over the last month I noticed an unusual gap where the bottom middle teeth has moved over creating a gap. I didnt think anything of it till today and looked inside his mouth and saw the answer. His teeth look like the 1st pic. Two permanent teeth are behind and growing and his baby teeth are solid.

    I am in the UK so not sure if the solutions are universal but one thing to note I had a similar problem where my baby teeth (not the front ones but 2 at the sides) stayed put into late teens and had to be removed by dentist resulting in a noticeable gap on one side where. My concern is that although you say they may correct themselves as my own did not should I when he sees the dentist insist they remove those lower baby teeth. The 2 permanent teeth are behind 4 baby teeth. How many are they likely to remove just two or four to ensure enough room. Or would two be enough.

    Thanks in advance if you are able to answer

  111. My 5 1/2 yr old daughter just showed me that a new tooth is growing behind her bottom front baby teeth (incisors).
    The baby teeth in front are not even slightly loose! How long should I wait to let nature take its course?
    Her dentist wants to look and possibly loosen the baby teeth in front; I don’t want to traumatize my daughter esp since this is all part of growing up. Any advice on how long to wait would be appreciated. I don’t want to let this go for too long either.
    Thank you – your page was so helpful!!!
    Ruth

  112. Hello,

    The pediatric dentist says that my son is pretty crowded. The Xrays show that adult teeth that are coming are big and will not have the room to come out. She is suggesting extracting 2 lower baby teeth to make way for the permanent teeth. Should I wait for sometime till I can see the permanent teeth coming or extraction makes sense. He has lost 2 front teeth and the permamnent teeth that has come up is misaligned.

    Help please!!

    Thanks

  113. hi,
    i know this may sound weird, but i don’t like dentist.i am a 24 year old woman. and i have the same issue and i never sorted this out.i never thought my milk teeth would come out and it hasn’t come out. only last week it started bleeding when i eat and today it started to move. i book an appointment with a dentist. please advice me on what would happen. i have a picture if i can email you or something. i left it too late and now i do not know what will happen.help

  114. I am a 12 year old girl and I have similar problems with my teeth, 2 of my baby molars on the top row are both loose, the one on my right side is about to come out, but the root has not fully dissolve and it’s a pain in the butt! My permanent teeth are growing right above the baby molars, I am trying everything to get those two teeth out but nothing is working, should my mom book and appointment with my dentist or should I wait until the teeth fall out?

  115. My grand-daughter, aged 6 years 3 months has an upper incisor erupting in front of and slightly above her baby incisor. The baby incisor is pretty wobbly. Should we leave well alone for the moment? My grand-daughter has no pain or concerns.

    Malcolm

  116. I have a tooth that is still my my gums. It is a big lump and towards the bottom of it, it has a little part where the gums aren’t covering it. It is starting to come in but my baby tooth isn’t really loose. On the other side in the exact spot, the tooth coming in is higher up but the baby tooth is looser. Will the baby tooth that isn’t very loose come out on it’s own or will I have to get it pulled? I am 13.

  117. Hello there!
    I’m seventeen and my upper canines are still babies! They’re both wobbly and my adult teeth are up in my gum but they are facing forward instead of down.. Will I be able to avoid braces in anyway?
    I’ve had it examined and the dentist said that I MAY be able to have my adult teeth put into place but they might no last long, my other option is braces for a year or two, I am seventeen! I do not want braces! Especially in the places I work, I’m meant to greet people with a smile. I would love to be able to have dental implants, is this possible? If so how much or can I have it on the NHS?

    I hope to hear from you soon, this subject is really getting me down.
    Thank you for your time!

    • Hi Kate – I would think that the best way to move them down would be braces. By “putting them into place”, what did they mean?

      I would recommend keeping your natural teeth rather than going for implants. If there wasn’t room for your canines to come into the proper place, there probably isn’t much room for implants to go in either. I know NHS does braces, but I’m not sure if it’s universal or not since I’m in the United States. Also, with implants, there may be a healing phase where you don’t have any teeth there, and I would think you’d rather have braces than the missing teeth. I hope that helps!

  118. Hi Tom,

    Our 6 year old has three of his four front baby teeth (both front middle teeth on upper and lower jaws) in place with the adult teeth coming through behind them. He lost one front lower baby tooth but not before the adult one was in place behind for several weeks. It did move forward within a few weeks, but the adult one next to it has grown in completely behind it’s baby one and which is only the tiniest bit wobbly. Now his front upper adult ones are coming down behind and their baby teeth in front are rock solid. They are coming down at least 5-6mm further back than the babies.

    I wasn’t so concerned with the lower ones but the upper ones now doing the same does worry me a little. How long should we wait before taking him to the dentist?

    Just out of interest, is this hereditary? I had the same issues with all four canines and after 2 years of them being in place with rock solid baby teeth I ended up having to have all the four baby teeth extracted. They weren’t coming out by themselves! However doubling up on canines strikes me as less of a problem than doubling up on the front centre ones, particularly with the top jaw.

    Any advice would be much appreciated.
    Thanks, Naomi

  119. Hey Tom,
    A very big thanks for this article. I just looked inside the month of my 6 yo and nearly had a heart attack when I saw two (perfect) adult teeth behind the two front baby teeth!! Thank you for such a reassuring and informative article.
    S

  120. Dear Sir,

    I have a problem almost similar to this.I have a 7 year old daughter and she too is getting a shark teeth..like you have mentioned in your article.However there are a couple of differences.she got this permanent tooth behind her baby tooth around a month and a half back and its only growing bigger now and the baby tooth is absolutly firm in its own place.The permanent tooth coming seems to be lone..I mean not in pairs..may be a little later another may come.Shall I take her to a dentist..? Please give suggestions….

  121. Hi – my daughter has the shark teeth coming in, and the dentist referred us to an ortho who has recommended pulling 6 bottom front teeth to make way for 4 adult ones (two of which are coming in). I have an appointment for the extraction on October 8th, but is that too far out? Should I make it sooner?

  122. hey Tom, i am 23 and when i was a child my milk tooth was removed and a permanent canine was found developing already on the outside. The problem is that it came out from above and it didnot align with the rest of the teeth it is slightly above all the other teeth. I cannot smile comfortably because it sticks out and when i was a teen my friends always called it a vampire tooth. I am from Uganda(Africa) and here dentists are for people with lots of money and people with such situations either remove the tooth or live in embarrasment. I don’t want to lose a tooth, i don’t want to be wearing braces at this age. What can i do? Do you think this problem can be fixed? How and how long would it take to correct? Thank you.

  123. My daughter is 6. She has 1 permanent tooth behind her baby tooth, and now has the 2 nd tooth growing in. Her 2 teeth that we can see are the size of 4 of her baby teeth. It has been this way for 4-5 months. We are scheduled with an or tho on the 4th of October. They are talking spacers, and braces by the time she is 8 or 9! Is this normal for a child that young to be in braces?

  124. Hi. My son is 5 and has what appears to be “shark teeth”. He lost 1 baby tooth without incident. The second came out about 2 weeks ago and his gums look like the split. Now the baby tooth beside it is just hanging by a large chunk of dangling gums and it appears that the gums also split between that baby tooth and the adult tooth growing in behind it. Is this also normal? I am afraid to try to pull the tooth out because I don’t want to pull the gums out too. Thanks for any advice.

  125. Hi ,I found my son(he is 6) has one permanent tooth behind his baby tooth last month, and the babytooth loose,so we went to see the dentist, the dentist pull out his baby tooth without giving us any waiting,I worry about it has any harmful for his permanent tooth, because his baby tooth was taken out early.thank you.

  126. Hello!
    My son is 6, his bottom 2 teeth came in behind his baby teeth and the dentist told us to just wiggle them, we did and eventually they came out and the adult teeth moved into position. The his top teeth came in behind the baby teeth, he only lost the one top baby tooth so far because he got kicked in the mouth. And now, also, on the bottom are the second pair of adult teeth coming in behind the baby teeth and the baby teeth are not even close to being loose! So far 6 adult teeth have come in behind the baby teeth without the baby teeth ever being loose. We were just at the dentist and he said to let nature take it’s course. But I’m concerned about his teeth being crooked and I think they should be pulled. So, should we just wait like our dentist said or find a new dentist?
    And is it normal for 6 adult teeth to come in behind the baby teeth? Will all of his adult teeth do this?
    Thanks so much,
    Sue

  127. I also just wanted to say a big thank you for the article and also for taking the time to answer questions. A was also a very freaked out upon finding one in my daughter’s mouth but now know I’m reassured. Thank you again! =]

  128. Thanks for your blog, I so needed this information RIGHT NOW since my dentist wont be in till Monday!!
    You are the best!!!

  129. Please help 🙁
    I am a 20 year old with no insurance and I have a baby tooth falling out and the adult tooth is coming in right behind it ,so right now there doubles . The big problem is the adult tooth is really small for some reason and very far back making me look toothless. It’s killing my selfesteam . Please help

  130. I am 20 and my baby canine never came out and now there is a tiny tooth growing behind it. Is it normal for that to happen?

  131. Hello Tom. I had a baby tooth on my right side where my front K9 would be and an adult tooth fully grew in behind it. I lost the baby tooth about a year ago and now I have this horrid smile and I was wondering what would you recommend for me to ask a dentist to do about it. Would I have to get braces? Another important factor I am 24 so I do not know if it is too late, I truly hope not.

  132. Hi, my age is 23 year old and my baby tooth is still there. It may create any problem with other teeth ?
    can this tooth create any problem in future ?

    • Hi Suresh – Do you have a permanent tooth? If you only have your baby tooth, it would be good to hang onto it as long as you can. I have seen baby teeth still holding up in 60 year olds!

  133. Tom-
    I have an 11mo old who has all top 4 teeth (center), but just the other day, after some fussiness- i realized he has some more teeth top center poking through the roof of his mouth, right behind the top center teeth. I have heard of this shark teeth phenomenon, but at HIS AGE?! It doesn’t compute. He hasn’t had his first dentist appointment yet. Do you think this is shark teeth? Have you ever seen it in children this young? Thanks!

    • Hi Valerie – Without seeing him, I would probably lean more towards an extra tooth at his age, known as a mesiodens. You can read more about that by following that link. In any case, it would be a good idea to take him in for his first dental checkup at his age. Let me know if you have any other questions – Thanks for your comment!

  134. My Daughter is almost 6 (in a couple of weeks). She had “shark teeth” with her lower right tooth about a year ago and the baby tooth fell out very shortly after seeing the grown up tooth behind it. Then I noticed it happening to her lower left tooth and the baby tooth was also loose so I thought it would follow the same path but then after a couple weeks it seemed to stop wiggling and firm up again. We have gone through 2 or 3 dental visits with the teeth this way and the dentist just says “yeah, we’ll just keep an eye on it”. But now, it’s been over a year and neither grown up nor baby tooth is moving. ?? Should we just keep waiting? Her regular doctor said it’s ridiculous that her dentist hasn’t taken the baby tooth out. I’m not sure who to believe. I don’t want to set her up for braces.

    • Hi Emily – Has the baby tooth on the opposite side fallen out and that permanent tooth grown into place? Is her jaw too small for the permanent tooth to move forward into its proper position? I’d have to look in her mouth, but if it’s been over a year, it may be time for it to come out. You could ask her dentist what he/she is waiting for so you understand their reasoning.

      I hope that helps – Good luck!

      • Yes, the tooth right next to the shark tooth situation has fallen out and the adult tooth has moved into place. I think the space is a bit too small for the adult tooth to move forward, yes. We went back to the dentist last week for a cleaning and again, he just said that as long as it’s wiggling he won’t pull it. It’s just barely wiggling, but like I said it’s been wiggling for almost a year.

  135. Hello,

    My name is Juan and I have a 5 year old. To be exact he is 5 years and 3 months. This morning as I was brushing his teeth, he asked to try and do it himself. So I gave him the brush and as he leaned down, I saw a white tooth behind his bottom front teeth. I got panicked and called his mom to come have a look at this! I found this great article of yours and now I am a bit relieved! His baby teeth do not appear to be ready to fall off any time soon. They are strong and firm so I am starting to assume he will eventually have to get some of his front teeth removed to allow the permanent to align properly. My question is, shall I wait a few more weeks to see if his baby teeth show any sign of falling off? Or is this an issue the dentist should have a look at asap? Thank you for your time and this great article!

  136. My sons tooth has grown behind his baby tooth, his baby tooth fell of and the gap has closed, is this an emergency? please help us.He is worried about his teeth

    • Hi John – If there’s not room for the permanent tooth, your son may need to get braces to provide more space for his teeth. It’s not a definite emergency, but it’s something that you should have his dentist look at. I hope that helps!

      • Thank you for your help. just another question. Will he have to pull out his tooth that has grown behind his other tooth if braces arent an option?

  137. Hi, I had an adult tooth growing behind one of my top canine teeth and the baby tooth did not fall out so I had to get it pulled out. The adult tooth has started to grow and it is growing a bit too far back because the baby tooth was blocking it from growing in the right place. Do you think it will continue to grow backwards too much or will it start growing more forward? I’m 15 btw 🙂

  138. My 6 year old daughter just pulled out her other front tooth. Her adult tooth behind it, is already coming in. It looks like it’s sitting further back then her other front tooth. Will it come up closer an align w/her other front tooth?!? kind’ve worried is all.

  139. Hi Tom: Great website and thank you for your informative info on “shark teeth” for us worried parents!! I noticed my son having two permanent teeth coming in the back of his front two bottom baby teeth, back in March 2012. He is 6 years old. We went to the dentist, he said, “see if they fall out on their own”. Never happened. So, last week at our 6 month normal cleaning appt., we had the two bottom front baby teeth pulled. They never did show signs of even wiggling so it was inevitable – they were being pulled. Very long roots by the way, seemed to be longer than normal…not sure if they would ever come out without extraction. So now the two permanent (as you said, they seem to act in pairs) are behind and a little spread apart to either side. My dentist never said anything post extraction (I continue to be concerned as they are not straight and slightly cock-eyed. I went back in to talk to the dentist and asked “will they push forward with just the tongue pushing” is there anything we should or can do?” He said, yes the tongue will do it’s job. But, I still remain concerned. The other bottom two front baby teeth are not budging or I should say even wiggly at this point and I am concerned that they should be pulled now and start making room. Would you agree? I am thinking that I need to take him to a pediatric dentist for a second opinion. I probably will do this anyway. Is it possible to send a picture to you to see?? I have one I can send as an attachment ready if so. When would a pediatric dentist start to take action and perhaps put braces in if so…would they do that even now at 6 years of age to start to push the teeth forward now, and not wait or does this only happen at a certain age. I see a lot of people asking the question and stating the kids are 9, 10 or even in their teens and it can be too late….so I guess I am asking for us parents who have kids that are 6 & 7 – how early does a pediatric dentist get in and put braces in?? Thanks!

    • Hi Christy – Thank you for the kind words! Either a pediatric dentist or an orthodontist. Many pediatric practices also have experience in orthodontics, so that could be a good option. There are some appliances that they can put in to help ensure that there is enough room for all of the permanent teeth – the younger the better as it is easier while the jaw is still growing.

      If you’d like to send a picture, I would love to use it for a future article that I am writing on this same subject about when the baby teeth should be pulled.

      I’m really sorry it took so long to get back to you, life is busy making sure my patients are taken care of and happy. I’m glad everything worked out, and would love to hear what you ended up doing with your son. Have a great day.

  140. Hi Tom,

    Thank you so much for this article. I have a 5 yr old turning 6 in late January. His teeth are similar to picture #1 but with only 1 permanent tooth showing so far. The few trips we’ve had to the dentist with him have been horrendous (he has autism & doesn’t understand what is happening), I’m wondering what the process is for pulling out the baby teeth if that becomes necessary. Do they put children to sleep or do they usually use a local anesthetic? Our dentist visits are really traumatic & usually entail literally chasing him through the office & me physically having to hold him on my lap with my legs crossed over him while the dentist & assistant do the exam.

    Also what is the likelihood of needing braces in patients who have had shark teeth. Myself & his dad never had them. Both of our teeth are pretty much perfectly aligned, however, my dad wore braces for years as well as one of out of 9 of my siblings

    • Hi Tiffanie – If it is a struggle to get him to sit in the chair for routine exams, some form of sedation would probably be necessary to make it a non-traumatic visit if the teeth needed to be pulled out.

      As far as likelihood of braces, there are some studies that show that shark teeth occur more commonly in people with crowding, and those with crowding do usually end up needing braces, so I’m sure there is an association there, but I don’t know of any exact numbers for you. I hope that helps – good job on taking your son in even with autism. I’m sure the visits aren’t fun for you, but I’m glad that you’re making his oral health a priority and I’m sure he’ll be grateful for that when he’s older.

  141. thanks sooooooo much for this article…even though i live across the Atlantic …I can now heave a sigh of relief…….I was panicking so much this morning when I saw two permanent teeth growing behind by 5 year olds milk teeth……now I know she’ll be just fine…and we are on our way to see the dentist in a couple of days..
    : )

  142. Hi Tom,
    I am 20, and i have a fully grown shark teeth behind baby teeth in my lower jaw. the baby teeth is just wiggling a little bit(but is painful) but is showing no sign of falling out on its own. my dentist has said that it is necessary to pull out the baby tooth. However, I am afraid tha my mouth will look awful as the permanent tooth is not alighned as it has little chances of moving forward on its own as it is fully grown.
    what are the other options i could opt for…? should i go for braces or the implant..or there is any other way out for the situation. please help.!!

    • Hi Soniya – Sometimes after pulling out the baby teeth, the permanent teeth will move forward. If there is a lot of crowding, that may prevent them from moving into the proper position and then braces would usually be the best option. Some other options, such as adding material to the teeth (bonding), could help them appear more straight to people that look at your teeth. I hope that helps – Good luck!

  143. Hi,
    I have a daughter who is 6 and she has a bit of a different problem with two teeth. One of her top front teeth has the baby tooth that is refusing to come out. The new tooth is almost all the way in. The baby tooth is a little loose, but doesn’t seem to be getting any looser, it has been there over a month now. Should see see a dentist, or should we wait a bit longer…the baby tooth is poking outward towards her lip.

    • Hi Valarie – It would be a good idea to see a dentist. Sometimes with the baby teeth wedged around a permanent tooth, it can create a lot of inflammation in the gum tissue and be painful. I hope that helps!

  144. I’m 29 and still have two baby teeth top of my mouth and a tooth is growing behind one of them! I’m terrified to go to the dentist incase it his problem can’t be resolved.

    • Hi Sarah – Most problems like this can easily be resolved. You likely have two permanent teeth waiting to come in that will match your teeth better than the baby teeth do. A dentist will be able to take an x-ray and let you know what your options are – If you don’t go, you’ll never know. I hope that helps!

  145. Hi, when i was little i visited the dentist as i had noticed an adult tooth was coming through in front of my baby tooth, the dentist kept telling me that my baby tooth would eventually fall out, but now ten years on, i still have the baby tooth in my mouth and it is well back and constantly pushing into my tongue. I have been too scared to go to the dentist but i just cant take it anymore but i feel like its been left too long to be sorted as the baby tooth is really wedged in and i dont think it would ever fall out.
    thanks in advance 🙂

    • Hi Gemma – It will most likely come out fairly easily. You can always call around and let them know that you haven’t been to the dentist in a while due to fear and if they think that it would be a good office to help you through that… I hope that helps – good luck!

  146. Dear Tom,

    Thanks very much for taking the effort to produce this blog, particularly this post, and answer all those queries and comments!

    I was ready to rush my son to the dentist this week when I saw his two front permanent teeth coming in behind his baby teeth. The permanent teeth, however, seem to be coming in quite straight and his baby teeth seem a bit loose. So I’ll just observe this for a few weeks …

    Sincerely,
    Melissa

    • Hi Melissa – Thanks for your kind words – as you can see, I did get behind in answering comments 🙂 ! I hope everything got resolved well with your son’s teeth and that they’re still coming in straight. Have a great day!

  147. I volunteer weekly at a soup kitchen for the homeless. This year we have had a young girl (less than 20) coming in with her baby. She’s white and the baby is bi-racial so her dad kicked her out. Her mom is a drug addict that has been gone since she was little. This girl went to Delta Tech to get her Dental Assistance license. Problem is, she has shark teeth – two full rows of teeth on the bottom. It is the first think you notice about her. My question is, is it possible to pull all of the baby teeth now? Is this a major surgery situation followed by braces? I’d like to help her but that would be thousands of dollars. Bless her heart, it is obvious she wants to help others because of her experience but I simply cant imagine a dentist who will hire someone with this?

    thanks, Kim

    • Hi Kim – It most likely wouldn’t be a major surgery, but that would depend on whether or not the roots of her baby teeth have been dissolved at all by the permanent teeth. Usually baby teeth come out fairly easily. Sometimes after the baby teeth come out, the permanent teeth will move forward due to the force of the tongue pushing them slightly out (counterbalanced with the force of the lips, pushing them back.)

      I hope that helps Kim, Have a great day!

  148. My 6 year old has shark teeth at the bottom. She told us 2 days ago her teeth were loose, then we saw the adult teeth growing behind. This morning she showed us her mouth and her gums on the bottom are now pushed up and resting on her 2 baby teeth. Is that normal??
    Thanks for the great article!!

    • Hi Victoria – The gums can and do move around when the permanent teeth come in. If it is very concerning to you, it would be a good idea to call your daughter’s dentist or take her in for a visit to make sure everything is ok.

  149. Hi Tom!
    I am very confused with dentists in Missouri. My daughter had shark teeth last Summer, and the fastest appointment I could get for oral surgeon was 6 wks. I took out the first two, and he took out two more (laterals) as permanent teeth are much biger. I had to go to the surgeon because baby teeth had very strong roots. Two new teeth moved to the front now, but they did not get enough minerals and vitamins being behing the baby teeth, so now they are some weird yellowish color, actually mix of white and yellow. Tops look funny too.
    Last week, lateral incisor erupted. I took her to her dentist, but he does not want to take out canines. That is the only way new ones will have room to come in nicelly. Why? I walked out but I keep thinking …another oral surgery? Why dentists don’t wanna help? Oral surgeons sure do. They are way more expensive but still cheaper than braces and ugly mouth.
    After x-rays, I got into a panic mode. The uper teeth will be ‘crowded’ . I can see permanent teeth, a lot of them, very weirdly positioned. For example, for 4 new permanent front teeth, we need to take 6 baby teeth (permanent are biger). Then, new canines is far up, further than both molars, those 3 are positioned so they look like they are almost on the top of each other. On both sides of the mouth. (this is still inside, visible on x rays)
    Dentist said ‘don’t worry, she will just wear braces in few years’. I am crushed. I am from Europe, and we take baby teeth out so that permanent teeth have a great chance. I don’t understand why he does not want to take any of them out. Upper central incisors will come out in March, according to calculation. Where are they going to come out? I would take them out myself, but her roots are intact, very strong, so that is not an option.
    Do you think I should go back and insist on pulling lower canines and upper central incisors? I am sure she is not a good candidate for braces, because of her personality. Also, I don’t want her to be marked as ‘the one with ugly teeth’ in school…Why would we let that happen in Amerika? Let me mention that her baby teeth were perfect, her first dentist said she did not see better teeth in his 40 years of practice. My daughter is 7 yrs 4 months old. Please help.

    • Hi – Most permanent teeth are more yellow than the baby teeth – Here’s a post that shows them side by side and you can see that the baby teeth are whiter. The tops are most likely the mamelons (little bumps on teeth – that post will explain them.)

      There are a lot of different thoughts on this. Even if you take out the baby teeth, the size of the jaw will still limit how much room is available – like you mentioned, the baby teeth are smaller than the permanent teeth and sometimes you have to wait for the jaw to grow to fit everything in. More than than likely, the dentist wanted to wait and see how the jaw grows. If she ends up being at the age where the permanent canines would come in and they haven’t come in, then I would normally have an orthodontist look at them and let me know if they want me to extract some baby teeth – I just took out four baby canines last Friday.

      If it were my daughter, I would take her to an orthodontist and have them evaluate the amount of space she has in comparison with the development of her permanent teeth. The American Association of Orthodontists does recommend that children be seen by an orthodontist by age seven.

      I hope that helps – Thanks for waiting, and have a great day!

  150. My son is 4 and his baby tooth is loose but the permanent tooth is growing behind it. I read that kids baby teeth fall out at the the ages 6 or 7 and possibly 5. So I’m very concerned if its normal or ok that he’s four and this is happening? Should I take him to see the dentist or wait it out and see if it falls out since its loose? Also would his permanent teeth move forward and grow straight in its place? Hope you can help! Hope to hear from you 🙂

    • Hi – 4 is pretty young to be getting permanent teeth, but it’s not unheard of. If you haven’t taken your son to the dentist yet, it would be a good idea to go for a checkup/cleaning. While there, they could also evaluate this tooth. I’ll usually take a “wait and see” approach in these cases as the baby tooth eventually will work its way out. I hope that helps!

      • Hi Tom, how do you pick whose questions you answer, and whose you don’t? Is not the blog to answer questions to all?
        You never answered my question from February 13, but you decided to answer the one from Mommy which was posted yesterday. Seriously? Never mind.

        • Funny, I thought the same thing. I am still waiting since back in November!! I gave up waiting for an answer and took matters into my own hands. I was so excited to get an email and a quick answer that never came. If you would like to hear what I ended up doing, send me your email and we can share ideas between moms. We solved our shark teeth problem. Seriously, send me your email or contact info, I would be happy to share dental info. CS

        • Hi – It really is random. If I have a few minutes during the day I will sit down and try to answer a few questions. I do apologize that I didn’t get to yours. Unfortunately, I am unable to answer them all – but I will take another look at your original question. I can promise you that if you were in my dental office and had this question, I would answer it thoroughly for you 🙂

          • Tom, I got answers somewhere else too, in Europe actually. I don’t live in Virginia so I can come to your office. I live in MO and dentists over here just don’t care. If they were any good, I would not be googling around and trying to learn what is the best for my daughter. And maybe in the perfect world, you can take as much of PTO as you want and see as many doctors as you need, but in this world only few people are that privileged. I spent $900 on her teeth last year, but I could not get appointment on time with any of the surgents so lower fronts did move forward but they are tilted to the left and they don’t even look like teeth. Only God knows what is going to happen to the rest of them. Now I am so sorry that I took such a good care of her baby teeth. Maybe if I did not, they would be coming out on their own, on time, and would not be standing there strong with full roots not giving permanent teeth a chance. We all know that permanent teeth are much more important as we have to deal with them all our lives.

            • I am sorry to hear about your situation – I believe a majority of dentists want to help, but many times they feel rushed (as I admit I have before) and don’t make the time to discuss the pros and cons of each treatment with each patient.

              In the ideal mouth, the roots of the baby teeth would dissolve as the permanent tooth pushes up until the baby tooth becomes so loose that it falls out, creating a space for the permanent tooth.

              If the teeth aren’t aligned ideally though, the roots of the baby teeth may not dissolve and the baby teeth may need to be removed by a dentist/oral surgeon to allow the permanent teeth to come in. Even if you hadn’t taken good care of your daughter’s teeth, it most likely wouldn’t have affected how the permanent teeth came in – it seems more like an issue of alignment more than anything else. In fact, by taking care of her baby teeth you may have spared her hours of pain and infection from cavities.

  151. Great article, thank you so much for writing it! I just discovered a permanent tooth behind my daughter’s baby tooth last night and it scared me! She just turned 6. My son, who is older, never had an issue with any of his teeth coming in so this was all a surprise to me. I think I will wait to see if the baby tooth comes out, it seems like it’s starting to wiggle so maybe the problem will resolve itself. Thank you for this article!

  152. Thanks for the article. Noticed a shark tooth on my 7 year old’s top front tooth and panicked. Call the dentist right away and then googled. Tooth is loose and it seems as if the shark tooth is pushing it forward. It’s kinda lifted. Told him to wiggle and glad that was the advice you gave to a few questions. Tempted to wiggle while he’s sleeping but ell restrain myself

  153. Hi Tom,

    I am 26 and I still have my two upper canine milk teeth, and the adult teeth right behind them. (The adult teeth are positioned behind the teeth in the lower jaw when I bite). They are perfectly aligned, but the milk teeth are starting to look a bit scruffy. As we moved quite a lot when I was younger nothing ever got done about it. What options are there? Replacing them with implants or get braces? How common is this?
    Thank you.

    • Hi Nicole, the best option in this case is to usually get the milk teeth taken out and then orthodontics (i.e. braces) to move all of the teeth into proper alignment.

  154. hello
    so my 12 year old daughter has that and it hasnt gone away in about 3 months and the baby tooth still isnt loose- any explanation

  155. Hi,
    My 7 yr. old had “shark teeth” on his lower teeth. the one baby tooth came out on its own. the second one did not. i took him to the dentist and the tooth broke when being pulled out. so will the root that is still in there be reabsorbed. he did not do well at the dentist as the numbing gel before giving the novacaine did not work since he screamed bloody murder when it was being put in. or am i going to have to have it taken out again?

  156. I have a question. Ok i was 14 & i lost all of my baby teeth exept my two fangs. Okay then my two new adult fangs started growing in behind them. So i turn 16 & i got to the dentist & they pull my two baby fangs but my adult fangs are still pushed back kinda in the roof of my mouth. Im 19 now & its stll like that. I hate hiding my smile. Can someone please tell me what to do

  157. Update: Hi Tom,

    We did end up having to get another tooth pulled due to another permanent tooth coming in. He did surprisingly well & had very little bleeding. Thank you for you reply!

    Tiffanie

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  159. Hi, my daughter just turned 5 last month. She one has a loose tooth, bottom center. She also has a permanent tooth protruding behind it. The dentist says that my daughter has a small mouth and large teeth and to expect many orthidontic bills in the future. However he suggest that for now he pull the four front lower teeth and disc the other two in order to make room for her adult teeth. I would prefer they come in straighter and that we deal with the shark teeth sooner rather than later after reading some posts, bu it seems extreme to pull four? He did an xray and the two teeth that are coming in are really large. I think I’m going to o see an orthodontist for a second opinion, but would appreciate your input. It’s so hard to know what the right thing to do is. She’s an extremely sensitive little girl and I don’t want her to be so self conscious about her teeth….pls help

  160. Hey,

    I wanted to thank you for this post. It’s awesome. My son has the same issue as the first picture, but one of them had already fallen out. I checked his mouth when I started wondering when his second tooth was going to fall out. He is 6, but his birthday is in September. So, for being much older than the other kids in his class, his teeth are behaving the same as all the 5 year olds. I’m not a worrier of a mother, but I wanted to make sure this wasn’t a big issue, as my brother has some major crowding issues as a kid and had to have his mouth expanded.

    Anyway. . . I just wanted to thank you for this information. It was well written, and the pictures were spot on. : )

    Cheers!!
    Lotus

  161. Hi there,

    My 5 year old daughter’s adult teeth have recently grown in behind her baby teeth. Our dentist has recommended we have both lower front baby teeth pulled. I just wanted to know how long I can wait before deciding to do this procedure in hopes that they will fall out on their own. Neither of her front baby teeth are loose. Please Help…

    Regards,
    Jenifer

    • Hi Jenifer. My son has the same issue going on. We’ve been waiting for 10 months already and the baby teeth are not the slightest bit loose. Our dentist advised waiting another year before pulling them. Don’t know that I agree but I think you are ok to wait at least 6mo to a year to see if they come out on their own.

  162. Hi Tom,
    I am 17, and have had a tooth that grew behind the tooth next to my left front tooth for around 6 or 7 years and have no idea what to do about it. When it grew in, my baby tooth was pulled out about 2 weeks later, but the adult tooth never moved into place because there isn’t really enough room for it for it is a big tooth. This tooth causes my headaches a lot and gets in the way when I play my trombone (im in the band at my school). I wanted to know if there was still hope of moving it in place and if it is common that they cause headaches.

  163. Hi Tom.My daughter(5 yrs 4 mnths now) at her age of 2.5, had a fall and her upper row front two milk teeth were injured. As dentist said, these teeth became looser day by day and later(when she was 3.5+), one of them came out and the other one is yet to fall. Dentist said that it will take time for her permanent teeth to come up because she is too young.As I regularly check, there were enough room for the new permanent one to come.Now she is 5.4+ and behind that empty space a new permanent tooth is appearing.But, the position of the tooth is not straight. Its appearing as a shark tooth though enough space was there from earlier. Dentist said he will see it after it comes up completely and may use clip to make it straight. What should I do? Will it be straight automatically or clip must be used? I can send you X-ray scan copy if needed. Plz rply.

  164. Hi,

    My right mandibular cuspid tooth has not fallen since my child hood, permanent tooth has grown beside and now the baby tooth is shaky and about to fall. is it possible to refill that gap with artificial tooth?

    Regards
    Balaji

  165. Hi my name is Andrea. Im 16 years old but i have a 4baby teeth that looks a lot like a shark tooth. Its sharp and pointy. My dentist says its normal and that the baby teeth will fall out but they have not yet fallen out. My question is what should i do about them and is it normal for them to be like this.
    Andrea

  166. Hi im 14 years old and i have 3 baby tooths on my bottom row of teeth and behind them are the permenant ones . How long does it take so they can fall?

  167. My almost 6 year old lost both of her bottom central incisors with in a day of each other. The day she lost the second central incisor she noticed that one of the lateral incisors is no loose (no longer in the socket posteriorly). It looks like the one central incisor extends under the lateral incisor and is pushing it out too. Is this normal? Should I be concerned about the adult lateral incisor?

    Thanks

  168. Hello,

    My son is 8 years old. He has one complicated set of teeth!! His 2 upper front permanent teeth came out when he still had his baby teeth. The problem is that one of his front tooth grew on top of the baby teeth so that tooth actually looks like it grew on his gums rather than coming from under and instead of coming out down it is pocking out, whereas his other front tooth grew facing in, his bottom teeth covers the top ones when his mouth is closed except from that one front tooth pocking out. His dentist assistant suggested that I use a dental wooden stick and have my son bite on it while holding it out for 45 min 2-3x a day so the teeth can fix itself and be pushed out( my son of course gave me a hard time and I don’t blame him). And also the assistant stated that as far as his other tooth pocking out, there wasn’t anything they could do and it was up to me to put braces when he was older to have his top teeth straighten, but didn’t suggest he needed it. Another thing is that the tooth that should be growing next to his front tooth is actually growing behind it instead because his baby tooth came out after his permanent tooth poke out. Please, if you have any suggestions, I will greatly appreciated. He has an appointment in a week for a cleaning and I will discuss this with the dentist, but I’m afraid I wont get the answers!

  169. So I have a question. What happens if the baby tooth is pulled out? Will it just be the same, most likely just falling back into place? Thanks.

  170. Lateral incisors are growing without falling child teeth in upper jaw.Regarding dentist,they removed my child teeth.They advised me,”to push my teeth reguraly” for correct arrangement.But nothing happened.After some months,they advised me to put mouthguards to arrange it.Due to pain,i weared some months only.so,little ups present.Again how to arrange my teeth in proper manner without any braces or mouthguards?Nw,i m 20.Little presing not help me to correct my teeth and arrange my lips structure and nose also.Any home remedies for there or treatments only for that?like pressing teeth.I need ly hme remedies without any instruments.but central incisor present in correct manner.

  171. my son is 5 but his body is a 6 yr.. anyway im in need of help. my son lost his top front baby tooth. and then other one was coming in but side ways and i took him to the dentist and they said the side way tooth is his sec baby tooth.. i was like what.. i dont believe it. i think its his adult tooth and they made him a apt for june 12 got take it out.. and i need some help.

  172. hi,
    am 21 and my dentist told dat one of my milk tooth has not fallen yet and its very strong. do i need an extraction. or is it advisable to leave it as such?

  173. My daughter is 6 and just lost her first bottom tooth. The one next to it is now loose but a new tooth is growing behind it. Should we just wait a few weeks and see what happens, call the dentist or just take her in for a visit?

  174. hi,

    I have a shark teeth on left side of adult teeth , shark teeth is growing longer with cut my tongue while eating and also while talking.

    Pls advice me.

  175. hi,

    I have a shark teeth on left side of adult teeth , shark teeth is growing longer which cut my tongue while eating and also while talking.

    Pls advice me.

  176. sir,
    my daughter is 5yrs. and 2 months old. She is having the problem of permanent incisors behind the baby incisors in her lower jaw. The permanent teeth have come up quite a lot and are almost the same size as baby’s. Her baby incisors and not at all moving. How long should I wait for the baby teeth to fall naturally? and will the permanent teeth so appearing now take it’s proper place in line with other teeth? since they are little behind now. Please advice is extraction is required as on date? or should I wait.

    Lisa.

  177. I am 17 years old and my upper front tooth is pushed back due to the baby tooth roots not dissolving. Now that the baby tooth is gone my front tooth is still pushed back and has been this way forever. I have 1 front tooth that’s just pushed back and I don’t like my smile. My left front tooth is an overbite but my right front tooth is an underbite. I can’t afford braces but I’ve heard of Hawley retainers, also know as “Spring Retainers” can this fix the problem or is it too late? Because I would like to have straight teeth before I’m 20.

  178. Oh my goodness! Impressive article dude! Many thanks, However I am encountering
    issues with your RSS. I don’t know why I cannot join it. Is there anybody getting identical RSS problems? Anyone who knows the answer will you kindly respond? Thanx!!

  179. My little girl’s permanent tooth is coming behind her baby tooth, but her baby tooth is shaking, it looks and feels like it will be coming out soon. Should I help the process by shaking it all the time to help it come out quicker, or should I just rest assure that it will come out at its own time?

  180. Hi, I had an adult tooth that grew behind my baby teeth however when my baby tooth fell out the tooth did not move and the gap closed but over the years the tooth was moving slightly into it’s original position. What will happen now?

  181. Hi- My 6 yo daughter had her lower adult front teeth come in before the baby teeth fell out, just like the post discussed. Even with front baby teeth gone, the second of the lower front teeth seems to be hanging back there, whereas the first one started way back but found its proper spot in about 2 weeks. It’s been about 2 weeks since she lost the second tooth but it’s nowhere near finding it’s proper spot and seems to actually be loosening another baby tooth beside it. (Note that her top front baby teeth aren’t loose yet). There is a space for the second tooth but maybe it’s not enough? How long should we wait before intervention is needed? Thanks!

  182. I have a 7 year old, turning 8 next month who has his 2 lower permanent teeth fully grown in behind his baby teeth. They are no where close to pushing on the baby teeth. We first noticed the new teeth growing in about a year ago. The dentist we have seen suggests waiting another year before pulling the baby teeth out. Do you think this is too long to wait? I’m just concerned about how it will affect the growth of the rest of his teeth and jaw. Do you think I should get another opinion? The extra teeth do not bother my child so far but I am more concerned from a medical standpoint.

  183. Hi I am 19 and my baby tooth hasn’t fallen off but I am feeling that
    In the back of it a tooth is growing in. What should I do?

  184. Hello,
    My son just turned 5, and I look in his mouth pretty regularly, well we went to a dental station and the dentist said that he had a permanent tooth coming in behind his baby tooth.. It pretty much happened overnight.. there is only one permanent tooth so far and I’m worried that it may cause problems. It says that the problem should fix itself, but I can’t help but be the worried mom… should I schedule an appointment to fix it?

  185. Please advice me on what to do. My daughter teeth are just like in the picture, she six going to seven. Permanent teeth have grown behind the milk teeth.
    She has not fallen any milk teeth.
    When do think I should take her to dentist.

  186. Hi there,

    I am writing to you for some advice. I am over 40yrs old and I have a phobia of dentist’s.
    When I was a child I had quite a few bad experiences at my local dentist. When I reached 18yrs of age I started having problems with the 2nd to the back of my top and bottom teeth (3 of them). Which meant they had to be extracted. Because I was terrified of the dentist taking them out I ended up going to the dental hospital where I was put under anasthetic.After having them out I never went back to the dentist. When I was in my early 30’s I was having problems with my 4th tooth (second from the back at the bottom) It was broke! Because I wasn’t registered at a dentist I decided to attend dental phobia meetings. At the meetings there was a dentist who talked me through my fears and asked me to join his dentist. With a lot of encouragement I built my confidence up to go to his dentist. He talked me through what he was going to do. I had an xray which showed that I had a broken tooth and I also still had a baby tooth. He said that if the baby tooth wasn’t bothering me I should leave it alone, then went on to say that the broken tooth needed extracting. He talked me through the procedure saying that I would be sidated by putting a canular into my had (which I was really unsure and nervous about) as they don’t give gas any more. Anyway I went the following week after many sleepless nights and when the anethetist put the canular in my hand I didn’t feel any different. The dentist injected into my gum which I felt then after a few minutes which felt like forever he started to pull my tooth out which I also felt. It turned out that the anethetist hadn’t put the canular in my vein. This set me right back to where I started before going to the phobia meetings.
    My problem now is that I still have the baby tooth (the cuspid) and the permanant tooth has grown behind it at the top. This has made the lateral tooth turn and stick out like a fang. What should I do? I haven’t been to the dentist for over 10yrs and I am not registered at a dentist.

    • Hi Michelle – Sorry for the late reply! It sounds like you’ve been through a lot of tough dental experiences. Would you be willing to give them another try and having them get the anesthetic in the vein this time so it takes effect? Many dentists (myself included) still use laughing gas because it has a proven safety-record, whereas there have been complications with moderate to deeper sedation. I’m not an expert at helping people overcome their fears, but I would try what makes you feel the most comfortable:
      1 – Keeping the baby tooth with the adult tooth behind it
      2 – Trying to get the sedation again
      3 – Getting laughing gas

      I hope that helps! Have a great day.

  187. How long shall we wait before seeing a dentist? Our don just complained this evening about tooth pain- his tooth (adult) is coming up behind his lower left front insizer (sp)

  188. Hi,
    My 5 year old has all her baby teeth, they’ve come through nice and straight. She has just had all four of her adult molars cut through next to her baby teeth, in the right place. The bottom two, one on each side, have cut through but both look grey/black. The top two look white. I brush her teeth twice a day. Sometimes she does them herself once a day but I always do it myself at least once a day. Can teeth grow through bad?
    Thanks.

  189. Thank you so much for that! I just brushed my sons teeth and noticed one of his adult teeth has grown in behind his baby teeth. He just turned 5 in june and his baby teeth don’t look like they’ll come out any time soon. It was shocking to see. I’ve never seen it before. I feel so much better. Thank you.

  190. Hi Tom
    Feel relieved. You are doing an amazing social work. Thanks.
    Our 6 year daughter had a crooked tooth jutting out behind loose milk tooth in the lower portion.
    As the milk tooth was loose, the dentist extracted it and said the natural tongue action will straighten the crooked tooth over time.
    Now we notice a swelling behind the other milk teeth in the lower jaw. these milk teeth are not loose. Should we extract all these milk teeth or wait for them to come loose and also for the swelling to lead to tooth eruption.
    There seems to be plenty of space as the milk teeth are quite spaced out.
    Thank you reliever of anxieties.
    warm wishes
    vineet

  191. Hi Tom, I’m 12 years old and I have 2 shark teeth on the bottom row. My baby teeth are gone but I have these two pairs of teeth on each side that are behind all the others. These is some room for the teeth to move forward, does this mean if I get braces it will help it become straight? Please reply soon!

  192. My daughter who is 6 had shark teeth on the bottom.(bottom 2)When I brought her to the dentist he told me that all front 4 baby teeth need to be removed to make room for the 2 adult teeth that are coming in.
    So I listened to the dentist. My daughter’s teeth are growing and shifting into correct position. However, now she has spaces next to them. Was wondering how long until side ones grow in? Did I make the right decision?

  193. How long after the permanent tooth coming in should the baby tooth fall out? My son has one permanent tooth behind his baby tooth. His baby tooth is not loose at all.

  194. My son is 5, will be 6 in July. He has autism. Just this week I noticed he has a shark tooth coming in behind one of his bottom front teeth. I’ve had people tell me I should take him to the dentist ASAP and others say I’d be fine waiting to see if it fixes itself. My biggest issue is with him having autism even going to the Dr is a huge ordeal so the dentist would be like torture for him. I’d really like to hold off if I don’t absolutely need to take him ASAP. Am I ok with waiting? I’m so back and forth after hearing both sides of the situation.

    • This is EXACTLY what we are going through!!! My son is also 5 (6 in July), has autism, and has two shark teeth coming through on the bottom front. He has never been to the dentist due to his dislike of doctors and I’m worried this won’t correct itself. However I did feel the two baby teeth in question and they seem loose… so I’m hoping they will fall out soon. Hang in there! and let us know what happens!

      Tanya & Myles.

      • We are still holding off on the dentist. I’ve been checking his baby tooth daily since I noticed the shark tooth and it is finally feeling a little loose! Its not really loose yet but I’m hopeful it’ll fix itself. I was worried at first but after speaking with our pediatrician she assured me it was ok to wait it out for a little while. Hoping both of our boys don’t have to make the dreaded trip to the dentist over this! Keep me informed too!! Glad I’m not alone here!!

        • It is really wild I found this tonight… My son is almost 7 (end of the month) and Autistic… he has his first loose tooth.. he has had it for 2 months… and 2 weeks after it became loose i saw he had two coming in behind the front bottom teeth… we took him to the dentist today as the loose tooth still won’t come out and the tooth next to it is firmly in there… the dentist said eh just leave it.. it will fall out on it’s own..

          So I thought i would pass it along seeing as we are kind of in the same boat! Good Luck!

          • I just noticed my son who is 5 and autistic too has these teeth, that’s why I’m here trying to find out about them. I was very shocked to see the extra teeth and had concerns as going to the dentist is an ordeal, general anaesthetic for simple procedures. I wish everyone well with their children 🙂

      • I originally posted and was concerned about my sons shark teeth and him having autism worried me about taking him to the dentist. As of today both of his baby teeth have come out on their own and one of the adult teeth has already moved into the correct place and the other is on its way. I’m very glad we decided to wait for the time being and didn’t stress him out and/or traumatize him with going to the dentist. Especially now that the baby teeth fell out on their own and everything looks as it should!

    • My son has some behavior issue. He’s very smart but really has troubles in social situations at times. He has been seen by a neurologist at Childrens Hospital and diagnosed with tourettes syndrome . His teeth are coming in like this too. He also has hazy eye. His mom and sister both have ADHD. Both of his grandfathers have lazy eye as well. I have had similar issue as a child and adult. Genetics, ay!

  195. My Six Years daughter has damaged baby teeth means that teeth are broken. now two adult teeth have started to grow from the right and left upside of the upper jaw. what should i do to solve the issue and what the dentist will do. is it abnormal or painful to remove the roots or anyother solution.

    • Yes. As Tom said in the article, if it does not resolve after a couple weeks, have him checked out.

      “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.”

  196. My 8 years old daughter, is having shark teeth. in the last 1 and 1/ 2 months. One of her baby teeth resolved on its own, another 1 is still developing behind baby teeth. I went to my dentist, he suggested to pull out the teeth. Should I wait or go as per dentist said?

  197. My daughter will be 7 in two weeks, she to has shark teeth on the bottom behind the front. She is worried that she will have teeth like mine and I am too. I am 32 and still have baby teeth and severe crowding with adult teeth behind adult teeth? As a child when my mother took me to the dentist he said my teeth were fine and that they should adjust themselves and over 25 years later as an adult that had the shark teeth issue with, that dentist was very wrong.
    I now as an adult have social anxiety, I love to laugh and smile, but I embarrass my daughter, so I try to maintain my smile to a minimum. My daughter is outspoken and says what she thinks and I love that about her, but she does hurt my feelings a lot. All because my teeth are not straight like everyone else’s.
    So my advice to you as an adult with dental imperfections, I do advise you to take your children to the dentist and beg them to pull out those baby teeth and their adult teeth will have nowhere to go, but the designated areas.

  198. Hi I am a 34 year adult woman and I have shark teeth…..yep my parents never took me to get this sorted when I was younger…..I still have three milk teeth at the bottom and my top canines are milk teeth…no perants have come behind thoughs though. The problem is now the bottom milk teeth are starting come loose, Im worried now, what if they fall out, can this be fixed at my age?

  199. My daughter will be 5 in October and has her second “shark tooth” . The first adult tooth came in fine and the baby tooth fell out. I am just concerned why it is happening at such a young age. Is this anything to worry about? Or do different children get their teeth earlier?

    • I Holly, I am not a dentist but I am a parent and, No there is nothing to worry about. my daughter is 5 and her teeth are starting to get loose and she also has a shark tooth growing in. I’m pretty sure it depends on how early the child got their baby teeth in. My baby had all 4 of her front teeth(top and bottom) by the time she was 4months old. When I asked her dentist he did state that she may loose her teeth earlier. She is my only child so I too was worried about this, Everything is fine don’t worry.

  200. Hello, When I came home from work today my 5 year old daughter was so excited about the fact that her tooth is coming in. The problem is that it is coming in behind the loose tooth (exactly what I saw in the first picture in this article). I noticed the loose tooth a few months ago, though it is more loose than before, it still is not about to fall out and the tip of the permanent tooth is showing through the gum. I am so worried about my baby’s teeth being crooked. my question is should I make an appointment at the dentist or should I wait and see what happens?

  201. OK, so my 12 year old daughter still has several of her baby teeth and they are not loose at all, and her grown up teeth are all crowded in her mouth. We are having 2 removed next month, hoping that there will be enough room for the grown up teeth to settle in. As they are now, she can barely get the floss in there to clean (which is troubling). We were told orthodontic work can’t begin until all those baby teeth come out.
    Her 12 year molars came in VERY early and there seems to be a lot of room at the very back of her gums….maybe those molars locked up the space and caused the crowing? Her grown up teeth are at least twice the size of the baby ones….poor kid!!

  202. When I was about 12 years old, I noticed that my last adult tooth (2nd from the right of my middle teeth) started to grow before my last baby tooth had fallen out, I didn’t really think anything of it so I let it fall out in it’s own time, not long after it did, but now at 19 years old, I now have a “shark tooth” because by the time my baby tooth had fallen out, there wasn’t enough room for my adult tooth to adjust itself into the right spot (I can see a small gap in my gums between the tooth and the one next to it where it was supposed to grow into, but it grew a little crooked instead)

    I was wondering if there was any sort of procedure to fix this tooth, that doesn’t involve braces? Some days I get self concious about it because it can be really noticeable when I smile or laugh. For the most part I’m used to it and I can live with it, but I wouldn’t mind it being aligned normally like the rest of my teeth if there was a procedure other than braces. Thanks.

  203. Hello! I’m currently 16 and I’ve had a baby tooth behind my permanent tooth for years and years and it has recently started to crack off, reveling red softness In the inside and I am becoming extremely concerned but I’m also very nervous about seeing my dentist about it. Is it just finally falling out in a weird way or is there an infection in my mouth??
    Please get back to me, thanks!

  204. My son has overcrowding upper & lower …. misalignment & one front tooth is at an angle & has 4 or 5 adult teeth growing over baby teeth instead of pushing them out …. in about 2 years he is due to see the orthodontist again & begin work for a brace to correct these problems.

    (It is an inherited problem). I’m very concerned now though as he has a baby canine firmly in place & the adult canine is growing above this tooth & not pushing it out.

    Is it better to pull baby canine now to allow adult tooth to try & fall into place so as to prevent more serious problems later (age 17).. or will it take a long time for the adult to fall into place?

  205. My 14 y.o. child has a baby tooth coming out above the gum line on top of adult teeth. Will it fall out, or does it need to be removed? Thank you

  206. I am about to be 23 yrs old this month and I have a tooth growing behind my tooth on my top teeth. It’s starting to push forward my front (I’m assuming, baby tooth) forward now. If I get the permanent tooth removed would I have to wait for it to move forward on it’s own or could I immediately get braces after? I don’t want to go around with a crazy set of teeth because my permanent one is small right now.

  207. I’ve always been curious about this condition and this is the best answer I’ve found for what I have. I’m going on 25 years old and still have my baby canines and the adult teeth behind them sort of like a set of fangs I’ve had them removed 3 times as well as a tooth on my lower jaw that grew back

  208. Hi,

    My 6 year old daughter has “shark teeth” at the bottom of her mouth.

    The 1 baby tooth has fallen out and the other is loose which should fall out.

    I have just one question would she need braces as they are not aligned with the rest of her perfect set of teeth?

    I await your response herein.

    Kind Regards,

  209. Hi ihave just notice that my 7year old daughter has one of her adult teeth growing and pointing into her mouth she has not lost any teeth yet but does have a few wobly ones. Im a bit worried as a few months ago I noticed a tooth growing forward right at the back of the mouth but our dentist said its fine, but now after seeing this front tooth growing into mouth im not to sure. Should I be concerned please x

  210. I have teeth taken out 10 years ago and they said they would grown back and they still haven’t I have 4 missing beeth at the back of my mouth what can I do?

  211. Hi Tom,
    My daughter is 8yrs old and she has crowded teeth in lower side and front upper side (shark teeth on lower side but upper adult teeth on front) . Her milk front upper teeth is not broken and adult tooth is pop up in front of upper teeth. In her upper gums has a swelling and might be teeth. Dr suggest me to remove her two upper milk teeth and remove her 2 lower tooth also. But they are not wriggling.
    Please suggest me should i remove her teeth or i will wait for breaking by own.
    I appreciate for your reply ASAP.
    Thanks

  212. My baby of 5yrs old have exactly the picture #1. though the two baby teeth have fallen off. is there any chance that the shark teeth will align with the rest or what. i am not really comfortable with the alignment for now. should i visit a dentist or what can i do.

  213. Hi, my son lost 2 bottom baby teeth in September. They were shark teeth, but the baby teeth fell out naturally before the permanent teeth came fully forward. Now they (permanent lower incisors) are wiggling… is this “normal” until they adjust accordingly? He is due to visit the dentist in January. Should I be overly concerned before then? Thanks.

  214. Hi, I’m nicole and im 18 years old. I still have a baby tooth and it’s my canine tooth on my right side. My permanent tooth is already growing in behind my baby tooth since it hasn’t fallen out yet. It’s loose but really sensitive when I wiggle it and I don’t want to have to get it pulled. I want it to fall out naturally on its own and I was wondering if it’ll my permanent tooth will move forward when my baby tooth falls out. I don’t want to get braces just for one tooth. All of my other teeth are perfectly straight. Should I let it fall out on its own since it’s so loose or get it pulled which I don’t want to do because I don’t want to feel any kind of pain and it hasn’t dissolved from the gums completely.

  215. Hi Tom,

    My daughter is 7, and she has had a shark teeth situation with 3/4 so far (top two front and bottom two front). Two of the three baby teeth did come out, but one top tooth came in far enough back that it has now caused the somewhat loose baby tooth to be pretty much lodged in after a couple months of trying; it’s a little loose, but since we can’t push it back at all, it’s pretty much not coming out. Her pediatric dentist had us see an orthodontist to assess if the two lateral incisors also need to come out because his x-rays indicate she may have a similar issue with them in the future, and he wanted a consult about spacing, etc.. Well, the orthodontist now wants to have an appliance made (after the extractions) to help pull the center adult tooth towards the front. After reading around, this seems unnecessary to me at this stage because it sounds like the adult tooth will move forward on its own once the baby tooth is extracted, and I do understand it might be a little crooked and that she will likely need braces when she gets older (which I think she would have needed even without this issue). I feel like we should just wait and see what happens with the adult front tooth and maybe address it in a couple years if it hasn’t moved forward properly. Any input is appreciated!

  216. Hello! Thank you for a very informative article.
    My daughter is five and since 2 weeks she had her lower right front tooth wobbly. I wasn’t worried until today when I noticed the permanent tooth behind it already erupted. Within hours the baby tooth fell off but now I can see that the permanent tooth is almost 5-7 mm away and behind from the position of her baby tooth. almost like the pictures you have put up.
    Will it come unaligned once it grows? Should I get done anything about it now that the baby tooth has already fallen off?
    Should I take any preventive measures for any other tooth which starts loosening?
    Will greatly appreciate your feedback.
    Thanks and regards

  217. Hi!
    I am a 15 year old girl and I have shark teeth and basically the didn’t get fixed and now they are just jumping on top of each other (joke) I mean … They’re are quite a lot of teeth and quite little space! So what can be done about that? I don’t want braces please!!
    Also, I think I genetically have a kind of “trinagular” teeth way behind my front teeth so, what can be done about that? If it is brought forward will it stay like that! I hate it’s shape! Can it change!
    Thanks! x

  218. Hi, my daughter is seven turning eight in September. She has three adult teeth growing behind her milk teeth, one behind the top central incisor and two behind the bottom central incisors. She has been like this for almost a year. One of her lateral incisors has been wiggling for almost five months does not seem to want to come out, she often bleeds. May I please have advice as to what to do. Your responses are appreciated in advance.

  219. Hi,
    My son is seven turning eight in 26th Feb’15.His Front top tooth is not coming from gum.we can see only gum and no tooth fro the past 6months.Can you please advise

  220. My son had a loose tooth and it was getting to the point that it had to come out. The next morning he noticed a slightly green shade on the edge of the tooth and pulled it (it was already coming out). After pulling it we notices a sort of a spike of a tooth that held strong. Does this mean the whole tooth didn’t come out yet or is it a peice of the adult tooth growing in?

  221. Does wiggling the baby tooth help? So you recommend helping the baby tooth to fall out? My daughters looks like the first photo. The tooth was wiggly, then all of a sudden the permanent one popped through!

  222. hi Tom,
    Thank you for your helpful article. my daughter is turning 5 years on 8th March, and now she has developed the shark teeth, and yesterday her baby teeth fell off, so my worry is should i visit a dentist because it looks so much behind the baby teeth position?
    please advice.

  223. Hi,

    I am 26, i had shark teeth, recently one of my baby tooth came off and the permanent tooth was behind that, i feel i had a big gap in between, can u please advice what i can do now?

  224. I am 26, i had shark teeth, recently one of my baby tooth came off and the permanent tooth was behind that, i feel i had a big gap in between, can u please advice what i can do now?

  225. I am 26, i had shark teeth, recently my baby tooth came off, how can i get my permanent teeth to the position of baby teeth to have continous teeth since i am feeling gap.
    Please advice

  226. Hello everyone I’m 20 ,i was riding skateboard and smashed front tooth ,it growed back!! amazing cannot ,believe and explain how ;dd

  227. Hi, my name is Olivia and I have an adult tooth growing in front of a baby tooth I have. The baby tooth is on the upper part of my jaw. I read this article and I am not sure I have “shark teeth”. But what do I have??

  228. why is it that adult teeth grow right next to the baby tooth and not in the same place as the baby tooth again…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………???

    also,if wiggling until it falls out the baby tooth makes the baby tooth fall out,does the adult tooth go into the same place as the baby tooth through erosion like a mountain,only your teeth and not the mountain………………………………..???

    or do you have a permanate adult tooth on the side……………………………………………………….???

    message dartfrogger@mail.com the answer on whether or not it erosions itself into the correct place and not a permanate adult tooth on the side of the correct place,or does it stay on the side permanately after the baby tooth falls out (you can message me there,which is why i didnt enter my email address in the required place to enter the email address,here,i didnt want a permanate spam bot onto the place where im messagable by email)

  229. 🙁 teeth growing on the side and not in the same place,possibly getting stuck there for forever unless the tooth erosions itself into the correct place once the baby tooth gets loose and falls out………………………(O_O)!

  230. 🙁 teeth growing on the side and not in the same place,possibly getting stuck there for forever unless the tooth erosions itself into the correct place once the baby tooth gets loose and falls out………………………(O_O)!

    dunno whether or not it erosions itself into the propert place afterward though…………(O_O)!

  231. I am 25 years girl.I can remember when I was child my 2 permanent tooth grown behind my baby teeth and my father took me to dentist to remove teeth.But till now my permanent teeth are irregular and fell shy to smile to outside people.I think it is my permanent burden in my life.

  232. Comment: My baby has a permanent teeth grown behind her baby teeth it fell on its own though. I got really scared and took her to the dentist. he advised that we take off 3 neighboring teeth so as to allow proper spacing and I obliged. when I read this article I felt completely foolish. my question is won’t this act affect her dentition eventually?

  233. Um so I am 12 and I have a baby tooth stuck on my gum and it wont come out and I just found out (like 2 minutes before this comment I am typing) that there is a adult tooth coming in under it. What should I do I am scared of dentist but if I have to go I want to but will the numb my mouth and how I have only been to the dentist once because I needed my teeth clean please reply soon I want to break into tears because I have always had a worry for my teeth. So far the adult tooth is fitting in with my baby tooth but the baby tooth is loose and moves around a lot please help me and give me some details on what would happen if I did go to the dentist about this. Thanks.

  234. Hi…
    Im 12 and I think my permanent teeth are coming through my gum already… the dentis said its normal fr it to hurt when I eat but its really really painful… am I mistaking it for something else…..?? im scared…..

  235. Hi, my name is MJ, I am 17 years old and I don’t know how long it has been since my baby tooth fallen out of my mouth. The ‘shark tooth’ is still behind my front teeth. I don’t know if anything will help me. Are braces still an option? Or do I have to take surgery?

  236. Hi, my 7 year old son had shark teeth coming in at the bottom and the baby teeth fell out, no problem. Now he has his two top front teeth and another bottom tooth loose, and all of those new teeth are coming in behind the baby ones as well. I’m confident they too will fall out like the others, but it’s causing his top front teeth to protrude on an angle out of his mouth, making him look extremely buck-toothed. They are all loose, but I’m wondering why now every single new adult tooth is coming in this way. Any advice? Should I just let things take its course like the others since they all eventually fall out? Thanks.

  237. Hi Tom, my son is 8yrs 4months old and has lost only 5 baby teeth so far and thus his teeth look exactly same as in Picture 1 with around 3 teeth coming from behind and one slightly leaning on one of the baby tooth. Dentist advised we should remove the baby teeth. I would ideally want to wait so that problem of shark teeth can resolve on its own. Question is can I wait for some more time or is it already too late and I should get few baby teeth removed? My concern is that the lower front baby teeth would be firmly fixed and extracting them would be really painful for an 8 year old. Appreciate your prompt advice.

  238. Hello my daughter is almost 6 when she was 3 the dentist pulled her top two teeth out due to them breaking in half and what not. Why have they not come back in she lost a bottom tooth few weeks ago and I can already see some new tooth. But why not her top ones

  239. My toddler whose age is 6 and still his front top two baby teeth in half remained and not come out on the other hand his adult teeth come from the behind ??? what to do ?

    • Do nothing if it looks normal. My 7 year old had the same issue, baby teeth just protruding forward while adult teeth grew in behind. The baby teeth eventually fell out on their own, one we did have to pull eventually. As long as they aren’t cutting the kids gums or causing issues, they should fall out on their own. It took a long time before it happened, but it did.

  240. Hi,
    I am 11. My grinder tooth is wabling. But recently a teeth started to grow in front of it. So my question is will it go back to its real position after I remove my old grinder tooth?

  241. A permanent tooth just came out behind my five-year-old’s lower teeth, and I am worried as to why this is happening this early? she just turned five this August! Also, having had crowding issues all my life (braces, retainers, surgeries) as well as many issues ( 100% overbite, TMJ, cavities due to crowding, and so many extractions I couldn’t possibly have less teeth) I am freaking out royally fearing she’ll have all these problem and wondering if there’s anything i can do to prevent it all.PLEASE HELP ME

  242. Hey my 6 year old son is starting to get his adult teeth and his front baby tooth is still in mouth and new one grew in behind it. My problem now is he has a adult molar coming in but its coming in underneath baby molar but is sticking out of my sons jaw and he says its painful. Is this normal or do I need to take him to dentist?

  243. My son is 11 months old, he has had a high fever for the past two days. I looked in his mouth because my first thought was that he is teething. I looked at his top teeth and it appears that he has two teeth growing behind his front teeth. The left side looks like a regular tooth coming in right behind the baby tooth, almost looks like its touching. The right side looks kinda roundish? Just wanted to get some advice because it looks so strange.
    Thanks!!

  244. I have a question about my son, he is 13 months old and his baby teeth are coming in. One day i saw something hanging from his gums so i scheduled an appointment for the dentist to find out what was going on. That night i guess he was playing with it and it started bleeding. So the next day i looked in his mouth and to me it looked perfectly normal but i saw there was a tooth coming in. I didnt go to the dentist. Now i see it again on his top gums. Should i go to the dentist to get this checked out or should it be ok.

  245. My 7 yr old son has a tooth coming in behind a baby tooth,top front.I’ve read the other posts and don’t consider this being a problem to a normal child.The reason I say “normal” is because my son is autistic and will not let us look in his mouth without a struggle.Is there any advise you can give me to help with this situation? How will a dentist be able to help my son ,if my son is not capable of letting them take a look and see what they can do about it?

  246. I was wondering if this is able to happen but the other way around, so the adult tooth grows in front of the baby one. My two upper canines have their adult teeth growing in front of the baby ones. One of my baby teeth is close to getting out, even though it has been difficult to get loose, but the other is somewhat wedged in it’s spot. I also haven’t grown all of my adult molars, i don’t have gaps though, as those baby teeth never got wobbly, I’ve only lost one and i currently have one wobbly one. I’m 15 at the moment, is it normal to still be growing my adult teeth?

  247. Hello there. I am a single mother in a bit of a panic! Reading this article did help calm me down, but I’m still concerned. My son is 5 years old and has already lost one baby tooth (front bottom) a few days ago and another is currently loose. My son’s front bottom adult teeth have already starting showing. He definitely has this “shark teeth” syndrome. We recently moved to a new state so I do not have medical insurance set up yet (yes, I am currently working on it.), so with that being said what can I do to help my son out? I feel so bad for him. His teeth look like they hurt, but he tells me he is okay. I’ve already tried taking him to a dentist in the area and they will not accept him because I do not have insurance set up yet. Will my son be okay over the next 2-3 weeks while I work on getting things in order? I’m really worried. I’m both a mother and a father to my only son. So I’m all on my own. Please help! I would highly appreciate some advice!

  248. Thanks for this info. It has DEFINITELY put my mind at ease. I will take my 6 yr old to the dentist but glad from reading this to know it’s not an emergency situation. CHEERS from Mum in Australia 🙂

  249. my adult tooth is grown in but my baby tooth is behind and vertical. its loose but wont come out. its been this way for a while. it hurts to pull or apply pressure.

  250. Hi there. My son is 6 and both his two front teeth were very loose. The dentist eventually pulled them out as it was very loose. My question is how long does it usually take for his permanent teeth to come out?

    Thank you

  251. My 6 year old son has one like the first pic. But he says the baby tooth hurts is this because of the permanent tooth pushing it up? He also has it with his bottom left incisor is that something to worry about???

  252. Ive had a baby tooth in my mouth since 1987 and the permanent teeth came in,well tonight the baby tooth fell out after all these years but a small piece of the tooth and I think root is still in my gums,my question is will the rest of the tooth fall out on it’s own and will my adult tooth go in place naturally or will I need a retainer

  253. My daughter is seven and half years old. She had exactly the same problem as you have shown in pic one. The dentist has removed the two front baby teeth.now the two at back are coming at place.My question is should I get the rest of her baby teeth removed or they would grow naturally.

  254. Good Day! May I ask what will be the effect of shark teeth? is there any abnormality happens if i will not ask my dentist to remove the baby teeth yet and wait for it to remove by itself?

  255. Hi Tom
    I am 11 and I seem to have a permanent tooth growing infront of my primary tooth that is not wiggly. It’s been there for about 2 months and is really painful.

  256. Hi Tom, my 5 yr old lost his second tooth last night. It was only when it fell out I realised that the adult tooth was already coming through behind where the baby tooth was. So, the new tooth is not in line with his other adult one, it looks much further back. Will this right itself in time do you think?
    Kind regards, Fiona

  257. Hi Tom my 7 year old has lost his two bottom teeth and
    This happened however he was able to get the baby teeth out just fine. Now it’s happening again on the top two and where he grinds his teeth the baby teeth are so small he can barely wiggle them. One is kind of loose the other isn’t budging. His adult teeth have already moved forward and are butting up against his baby teeth. Will they be pushed on out? How long would you normally wait? It looks like the adult ones are a tad too big and may hit the edge of the two teeth beside the middle ones.

  258. Hi Tom,
    I have a daughter who 6yrs old recently her front baby tooth fell out and her permanent tooth came in but as i noticed it came in sideways instead of normal way should i be concern or will it fix on its own.

  259. Hi .. I’m 19 years old and my adult tooth is coming up behind my baby tooth . I was surprised because I thought all my baby tooth have fallen out . What should I do .

  260. Hi, I have a daughter almost 7. Just like in the first picture..it started with perfectly straight teeth on the bottom, than as kindergarten an Gr. 1 passed by my daughter was late in loosing her teeth while others weren’t. In the beginning of March 2016 I notice her bottom front tooth on the RIGHT side is wiggly. I didn’t pay attention since she had a dental exam in Febuary. In April, I noticed the tooth is now pushed up and I freaked out when I saw a slight bump behind it. After a month of no progress I see the tooth behind SLOWLY pushing through. In early May, the bottom front tooth on the LEFT side was wiggly and in 5 weeks she bit into a cucumber and swallows it. I called the dentist for advise and the fact the other tooth has not come out.

    The permanent tooth on the RIGHT side has pushed the tooth up but it’s been since April!
    I booked a Appointment with her paediatrician. The last Pediatritian was more concerned about making money and he would extract teeth as soon as possible even it it’s not needed because they get more money than a checkup! This doctor is different. He took an X Ray of her mouth and told us to wiggle that tooth. The root is partially gone. The hole where the missing tooth was is gone and I can see the tooth coming up. This tooth however didn’t come from the back like the other permanent tooth.

    They didn’t tell me it would take this long just for the root to be partially dissolved. They said removing to early can damage the area. They are on Vacation now. I can’t trust her to keep her teeth clean because I can’t afford to let her have cavities since it can damage her teeth. She has a discoloured tooth on top that we have been keeping an eye on but the pus is draining out of the pimple. She was prescribed antibiotics once after that her dentist said there is no need to remove it at her age.

    Need some advice, thanks!

    Jacy

  261. Consult with a professional to avoid dental mistreatment, This help most because of over workload. you must hire a professional online appointment and scheduling software that are capable to take care of your desk need.

  262. Hi. My son 7 yrs old was having the shark teeth from upper and lower. We brought him to dentist and after all the XRAY and observations his baby tooth was removed. 1st session was for the down teeth until we had finished 3rd session. 2 teeth from up and 2 teeth from down. So after its all removed we feel good and he felt good also. Was excited that his permanent tooth will be in place. After few months that we are waiting all his permanent teeth to be in place and when it does, another rows of teeth are coming from down and lower part of his new teeth that just happen to be in place. When he saw that he cried and I was heartbroken as he remember that his dentist told him that it will be ok. Now he’s scared to hell that it will all happen again the removal of his teeth. Why is that? How many times we can have a baby tooth? How many times the shark teeth will occur?

  263. Hi my name is Izzy and I just lost on of my back baby teeth and it had a permanent tooth growing under it and when I pulled it out the roots from the baby tooth was still there and I don’t know what to do if the permanent tooth was already half way out of my gum thanks

  264. Thank you so much for your website. It’s really lowered my anxiety about this. My daughter has a permanent tooth about to break through, and I was worried she would need surgery. My question is (and I so appreciate you attending to all these comments) how common is discing and are there any risks involved? The tooth that is about to break through takes up the space of two baby teeth. She has a tiny mouth and even her baby teeth were crowded. I don’t want this to continue for her whole mouth.

  265. My 6 year olds baby tooth is not loose at all. His adult tooth is completely up. We go to a regular dentist and his answer was don’t worry it will come out, he is going to need braces anyway. I’m very concerned because the other tooth that came up on the opposite side the tooth finally came loose but the the adult tooth is coming in sideways. I feel the tooth should be pulled. How much longer should we wait? Any answers would be appreciated.

  266. Hi, I’m 22 years old and I have a tooth behind my baby tooth on upper side since I was 15. The dentist didn’t do anything about this but now it’s getting painful when i eat. Is there anything dentists could do to solve this ?

  267. Hi, my name is Paulina. I have a shark tooth since I was young. I’m 27 years of age and the shark tooth is permanent now even with my baby teeth are still there never fallen off and my dentist suggest we take out the shark tooth. What do you suggest? Is it a good move or?

  268. hi i am 20 years old n my middle teeth is located behind from all teeth which i feel awkward to laugh, as the dentist suggested for brace treatment which i am not afordable n i dont want to spend much tym in this, so pls suggest mi something new n better

  269. Hi,
    m
    My age is 15 now.My problem is that I’ve got a tooth that is behind the upper incissor but that didn’t come out because it didn’t get enough space for coming out.so it looks really bad that my baby tooth in front.Even the tooth which came that’s position is also not good and it’s not straight it’s kinda curved.I hope you would be kind enough to suggest me something that would be better.

  270. Hi,
    My age is 15 now.My problem is that I’ve got a tooth that is behind the upper incissor but that didn’t come out because it didn’t get enough space for coming out.so it looks really bad that my baby tooth in front.Even the tooth which came that’s position is also not good and it’s not straight it’s kinda curved.I hope you would be kind enough to suggest me something that would be better.

  271. Hello
    My son just turn five last month. He been complaining
    That his frout tooth is hurting. When i had a look it
    Looked like a blister. After few days i notice agian it
    Was a parmanent teeth coming through behind baby tooth. Baby tooth was wowely. So we visit dentist and she removed his tooth.
    Need to know is that normal having parmanent tooth at age five. And only removing tooth is last option. Will
    He face any problems related to theeth in future ?
    Kind regards
    Mandi

  272. Hi,
    My son turned 5 in September and two days ago he returned from school with excitement that his permanent teeth have began to erupt. Not knowing when the baby teeth fell off, I was curious and quickly conducted an examination of the oral cavity. I saw two permanent teeth erupting at the back of the two central incisors and instantly became worried because I have never seen such a condition before. My worry actually is the fact that he is 5. The baby teeth is supposed to fall off at age 6. Thanks for the information you have made available on this blog. It has doused my worries and confusion.

      • Hi!
        My daughter, now 7, lost her first tooth at the end of 2016. The adult tooth had already been growing in but I felt it was fine as the baby tooth fell out. We let it be and she didn’t mention any more wiggly teeth, but today I noticed that the one right next to it is almost all the way out but the baby tooth is still there. Since I messed up and missed the initial eruption, will braces be able to fix the crookedness of her teeth? Will they straighten up a bit as she loses more teeth?

  273. Hi Dr.Tom
    This is Hassaan from rural pakistan. I am 27 and from last two years i have i tooth behind the old one. But from last year january 2016 i am chasing a problem or the right orbital pain. I have visit the doctorz of every speciality but the situation ia still out of controle. The tooth is also on the right side in between two teeths. I m worried about it please suggest me what can i do to get rid of this pain. It is startd from the throat to the shoulder and end of the ribs. But only in the right side of my body.

  274. Hi I am Rahul, I just turned 19 years old on 16th Feb, 2017. I have a baby tooth and the permanent tooth is right behind it. The baby tooth is still very firm and strong. I am thinking about removing it but at the same time I am worried because the permanent tooth won’t line up in the same space as the baby tooth since a very very little portion of it is blocked a another tooth. So I want to know that wether wearing braces would help me or mot regarding this problem if i were to remove my baby tooth? Also, suggest come ways to whiten my teeth.

  275. Dear Tom,
    Lately I’ve been trying to find out whether I should get braces or crown lengthening for my gummy smile. I’ve been having a gummy smile for the past 3 years and It’s been an insecurity ever since. I was looking and doing research online about how to treat gummy smiles. I didn’t like the idea of doing Porcelain Veneers. I got interested in either braces or crown lengthening. I can only choose one since both of these options are expensive. I’d like to know your opinion. Thank you.

  276. Thanks for this. My 6 year old son has an adult tooth coming in behind his baby tooth (actually, the picture at the top may as well be of his mouth, exactly the same!). I was worried but now I’ll just keep an eye on it. The baby tooth in front of it and the next one are already loose so I hope it’s in good shape to resolve itself

  277. Hi, my son is 12 and his two top canines have not come out, but the adult teeth are coming in. One of them broke and the other part is still in the gum. Do I have need to be concerned?

  278. Hi, my son is 12 and his two top canines have not come out, but the adult teeth are coming in. One of them broke and the other part is still in the gum. Do I have need to be concerned? Both baby teeth are loose.

  279. Hi My name is Landon and I have an baby tooth growing in front of my adult tooth and the baby tooth is on the side of my gums,and so what should I do , and will it hurt if the denist pulls it out Thankyou Please get back to me ASAP thankyou.

    Landon

  280. Hi my name is aamir and i have a daughter 8 years old,her front lower jaws having new growing tooth but not at a proper position where the child tooth was present,child tooth have fallen.
    is it possible that new growing tooth automatically push to the proper position.
    Thanks please reply me as soon as possible.

  281. I personally suffered from shark teeth syndrome. Never once was mouth ever missing a tooth. Today most people say that I have very nicely aligned teeth.

  282. I just looked in my 5 year old daughter’s mouth and saw two adult teeth behind her baby teeth. Both bottom front teeth are loose and she’s been telling me for a week now. She did say they hurt a little. I freaked out because I’ve never heard of “shark teeth” but the article made me feel better. My daughter’s father and I both have straight teeth and never needed braces. I only recently have had issues with cavities and am not at all happy about it. But my daughters baby teeth are beautiful and I thought her adult teeth were going to come in without any issues. I’m praying she won’t ever have to get braces and now with the shark teeth I’m hoping it doesn’t become an issue. I plan on calling the dentist but I wondered if I should wait first to see if a tooth falls out. Also, should I encourage her to wiggle the loose teeth with her tounge to make them fall out quicker?

  283. Help! My daughter is 10. She has has two adult teeth in behind her baby teeth on the bottom beside the middle two. Her baby teeth have been loose for probably a year now! One of them she can twist all the way around but it just won’t fall out. Been like that for months. We see a pediatric dentist who we last saw in April. He wasn’t too worried and said to leave them until next year and if they’re still in then he’d maybe do something about it. Her mouth is so crowded and she is quite annoyed by it not to mention they aren’t looking great. My question is do we leave it or get a second opinion?

  284. Hy. My son is 7 years old and one of his adult tooth is growing behind his discoloured brown baby tooth, and the other adult tooth us growing normally because the baby tooth has fell out. I would like to know, how long does it normally take for the baby tooth to fall out, after the adult tooth has started growing…?

  285. My 10yo daughter has one baby tooth that has been holding on by a thread for 3 months and the adult tooth that was coming in behind positioned itself under it but the baby tooth will not come out. Now an upper molar on the opposite side is following suit. The first one that is barely hanging on is not my turning dark grey and I really don’t know what to do now. We are a 12 hour drive from home now. Should I take her to an emergency dentist and have it removed?

  286. My son is 6 yrs old and has a bottom tooth coming in way back from his baby tooth. The baby tooth has not fallen out yet but is lose. I’m worried because it’s so far back from the baby tooth. Will it move after the baby tooth is out or braces be needed to move it?

  287. You should be on Dr. Oz explaining the shark teeth. I had no idea what it was until I googled and found your article! My daughter lost her baby tooth and that’s when we discovered the tooth behind it. She turned 6 last month. Your article and photos are awesome! I’m amazed that its been 8 yrs since you first posted this.

  288. Thanks for writing this article! I had never heard of “shark teeth” for kids! My oldest son is 5.5 yrs old and today I saw his bottom permanent tooth poking up behind his baby teeth and I was very worried but now I feel relieved. So, thanks! I’ll encourage him to start wiggling his teeth!

  289. Hello Tom. I had a baby tooth on my right side where my front K9 would be and an adult tooth fully grew in behind it. I lost the baby tooth about a year ago and now I have this horrid smile and I was wondering what would you recommend for me to ask a dentist to do about it. Would I have to get braces? Another important factor I am 24 so I do not know if it is too late, I truly hope not.

  290. How can a permanent tooth be realigned once it has come in but protrudes out because it grew over the baby tooth before we realized it was there? It came out high on her front upper gum and it juts out not down like the others.? She is now 11.

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