Does This Warrant a Dentist' Visit?

It's called shark tooth.
On the bottom it's common and not an issue.
On the top it is.
You'll be amazed at how that bottom tooth moves forward after the baby tooth is out.
Good luck!

Every tooth save 1 had the adult tooth in before the baby tooth came out. I think he's lost 11 teeth at this point, maybe 12. Not once did the dentist feel there was a need to pull the baby tooth and just said to save our money and keep working at it. He has only had to have 1 tooth pulled by the dentist and that was because it had a crown and was causing some bad gum irritation. All the rest he just wiggled until they came out. Once the baby tooth came out the adult tooth shifted to where it belong.

Trip to the dentist? No.

My daughter has lost 2 teeth and both adult teeth came in before the baby ones had fallen out. It happens.

As for pulling it yourself, the best method is to encourage your child to play with it as much as possible and wait for it to fall out/come out on its own.

We went through this with both of my son's lower front teeth. We were advised by his pediatric dentist to wiggle the teeth for a few minutes every evening. My son was not impressed by this process, but the alternative was to have the dentist remove them, and I know that would have been more uncomfortable. About a month after we started the wiggling, they both fell out on their own. The new permanent teeth surprised me. They moved forward and lined up perfectly in a space the dentist and I were convinced would not be large enough. The dentist had warned me about "serial extraction" where he would remove the next baby tooth, to make room for the new adult teeth, until he finally removed both the baby and permanent teeth of the last ones before the molars. I was preparing for a long, horrible process of dentistry...and then they sorted themselves out, all on their own. What a relief.

I suggest you start wiggling those teeth each night. Make it part of your evening routine, just like stories. And don't worry. My son's teeth were a good 1/4 in behind the others...it looked very odd. You would never know it, now. Just be sure to brush all the teeth really well. The challenge is to make sure you get all around the base of the adult teeth.

Good luck!

In short YES you need to make an appointment to visit the dentist.

Here's a link to a pediatric dentistry site that explains in more detail the issue:
http://cyberdentist.blogspot.com/2006/03/permanent-teeth-...

We see this in puppies all the time as well - the adult tooth is supposed to line up & impact the baby tooth root, causing it to die, & allowing the baby tooth to fall out. When that does not happen, the adult tooth comes in anyway, but it changes its path. This results in the baby tooth staying where the adult tooth should be, & the adult tooth being out of alignment.

If the baby tooth is removed soon enough, the adult tooth will shift into the correct position. Sometimes this requires the baby tooth to be pulled... I've been fortunate a couple of times, & had the baby tooth fall out in the day I had to wait for the appointment. But I also had an expensive vet visit to pull the baby tooth & correct the bite so that the adult tooth wasn't lost & the roof of the mouth wasn't impaled by a poorly aligned tooth (not really a human problem, but you get the idea!).

Taking care of this now will also allow the dentist to take X-rays of the mouth & check the alignment of other permanent teeth & correct any issues before they occur. This can also help avoid, or mitigate, the need for braces later on.

Finally, I do not recommend trying to get a baby tooth out unless it is REALLY READY to come out... forcing a moderately loose tooth to break free could result in leaving behind some root, causing an infection. Also, just because the baby tooth is removed doesn't mean there is correct spacing for the adult tooth trying to come in. Best to just have it checked out, to be safe.

Good luck, & make sure your little one gets their sucker on the way out! =-) T.

I would call the dentist. If the dentist says it should be pulled, fine. But I would not pull it yourself. Usually their teeth will fall out on their own, and there's no need to do anything about it.

My niece had both of her middle bottom adult teeth grow in without the baby teeth falling out. This is a family that didn't generally go to the dentist (except when they had to for school), and her baby teeth did eventually fall out on their own. I'm not saying a dentist would advise you to do nothing. Personally, I'd be worried about food getting stuck in there and causing cavities, but my SIL didn't care at all and just waited for them to fall out on their own.

Like I said, I would call the dentist. He/she might want to see your son. Then again, he/she might say it can wait until the next cleaning. I wouldn't think this would be an emergency, but it is worth the phone call.

No need to go to the dentist over this.

Beware though.... My friend's daughter had 2 teeth about to fall out when she took her daughter to the dentist for a checkup. The dentist ask my friend if she wanted him to take the teeth out since they were hanging by a thread. She said sure and he then charged her $200 for 2 extractions. Criminal!!!

It's normal.

Haven't you had the kiddo to the dentist yet? They could have told you how close the new teeth were to coming in. Our pediatric dentist told us last year how close our kiddo's permanent teeth were to the surface.

Kids start going to the dentist when they get their first teeth now so if you kiddo hasn't been yet it's time for them to go.

Perfectly normal. Even the concern.

Wiggly tooth will usually fall out in due time. I would worry more it it reroots. Happened to my nephew. The dentist had to pull that one out.

To make you feel better, I called my dentist panicked when my daughter's first tooth fell out with only one root. Apparently that's normal too since it feeds the permanent tooth.

Assuming your child goes in for regular dental checkups and cleanings, then I wouldn't rush an extra visit. My daughter had several "shark's teeth" and all but one eventually fell out on its own.

The difficulty is if they are so tight that he (or you!) can't adequately clean and floss in between the two.

All of my kids adult teeth have come in before the adult tooth has fallen out. They have had to have most of the baby teeth pulled because they don't get loose. The few that have fallen out at home they have loosened by pushing on the tooth and wiggling.

It is normal. My son is not even 6 and already lost 5 teeth! They loose them in order they get them so he is right on track. Yes, if an adult tooth is growing in before the baby falls out you should work the baby tooth so that the adult tooth can grow in correctly. Friends daughter has had 3 teeth pulled so far because her adult teeth keep coming in and the baby teeth don't want to come out. My son just plays with his while watching tv to work it loose. I think that is all you can really do. I've never really done much but he plays with it so much that it eventually falls out.

Our daughter's first two teeth came out at the dentist's office because the permanent ones were coming up behind. She had to have them pulled. It's not a fun process, so if you can avoid it, avoid it.

I encourage you to read the article cited by Tara. If your child's jaw and teeth placement is "normal" there will be no problem letting the teeth come in without intervention but if there isn't enough room the dentist may need to pull teeth on either side.

If he's had a dental exam the dentist will have discussed this with you if there might be a problem. If he hasn't been seen by a dentist I urge you to make an appointment. You can avoid dental possible dental problems by being proactive in getting professional care.

If you don't have dental insurance take him to a dental school.

All is normal - just let them wiggle until they fall out. My daughter plays with it and twists it until it comes out.