Even if your kids aren’t at the age when they would typically get braces, it’s important to start considering the future of their smile and the potential for orthodontic treatment. In fact, your kids’ early years can end up determining the development of their smile. One factor that can come into play is the timing of when they lose their baby teeth.
About Baby Teeth
Kids generally start to get baby teeth around age one and should have at least most of their baby teeth by age three. While not permanent, baby teeth allow kids to learn how to speak and eat properly. At about age five or six, you can expect your kids to start losing some of their baby teeth. The typical progression of baby tooth loss starts with the front teeth and moves towards the molars. And by age 13, your kids should have no remaining baby teeth.
However, not all kids will lose their baby teeth at the expected times or in the right order, which can disrupt how their permanent teeth come in and the development of their future smile as a teenager and young adult.
Early and Late Tooth Loss
When baby teeth are lost too early, one common result is incorrect spacing. Baby teeth act as spacers for the adult teeth, helping to guide the permanent teeth in the right directions. When baby teeth are lost early, it can cause adult teeth to erupt too closely to each other. Early tooth loss also affects the alignment of the jaw, resulting in crossbites, overbites, or underbites.
If baby teeth stay in too long, the adult teeth can become impacted, which means they stay below the gums. Or adult teeth may try to erupt around the baby teeth resulting in crooked or misplaced teeth.
Treatment Options for Baby Tooth Loss Timing
Kids whose baby teeth aren’t falling out at the right times might need to see an orthodontist to be evaluate as some guidance from an orthodontist may be needed. The extraction of baby teeth may be a treatment option as well as early orthodontic treatment. If baby teeth fall out early, it could affect the development of the jaw bone, as well as leave too little space for the permanent teeth to erupt.
If your child’s baby teeth did not fall out in time and their adult teeth have come in crooked or in the wrong places, Invisalign First can help straighten their crooked teeth at a young age, or they may need braces or Invisalign Teen once they get older.
Avoiding Problems with Baby Teeth
It’s important to take your kids to the dentist regularly from a young age so the progress of their tooth loss can be monitored. Keeping up with regular teeth cleaning will also keep your kids’ teeth healthy, which may help avoid bad timing with their tooth loss. It’s also important to bring your kids in for an appointment with their orthodontist at the age of seven to see if they would benefit from early orthodontic treatment.
Schedule an appointment for your child at Charleston Orthodontic Specialists today to keep their oral development on track.
