Some children begin to lose their baby teeth as early as age 4. The average age is 6 but 8 is not out of the range. If your child’s baby teeth came in at an earlier age than most he will probably lose them sooner as well. It’s a natural process of replacement that signals the arrival of the permanent teeth.
Baby teeth are there to hold the space for the permanent teeth that are developing below the gum line. When a permanent tooth is ready to erupt it will move up through the bone and push the baby tooth out.
It isn’t unusual to see a permanent tooth veer out of position every now and then and come in behind the baby tooth. It more commonly happens in the eruption of the lower front teeth and when it does pediatric dentists recommend that parents encourage their child to help the baby tooth along with a wiggle or two. Unlike with teething the arrival of the permanent teeth is not disruptive and causes little to no discomfort as long as good oral health habits are maintained.
We parents should do all we can to see that the natural progression from baby teeth to permanent teeth goes smoothly. If baby teeth are lost too soon the chance of misalignment of the permanent teeth increases. In fact, orthodontists have found that most of their patients have lost their baby teeth prematurely.
It’s very important to follow a schedule for regular dental checkups during this time of transition between the primary and permanent teeth. Your pediatric dentist in Aurora will want to closely monitor the changeover and take x-rays if he suspects something out of the ordinary.
If you would like to mark the evolution of your child’s permanent teeth the American Dental Association has provided an eruption chart on the website www.mouthhealthy.org.
Epic Dentistry for Kids in Aurora, CO encourages parents to take part in an overall plan for the maintenance of their child’s oral health. Call 720-721-3600 today.
